


A Place Far From Home

by Dae



Category: Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, Naruto
Genre: Action/Adventure, Adventure, Adventure & Romance, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Anal Sex, Canon Compliant, Canon Universe, F/M, Light Angst, M/M, Sexual Experimentation, Yaoi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-21
Updated: 2018-12-24
Packaged: 2019-03-22 07:13:57
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 44,698
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13758984
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dae/pseuds/Dae
Summary: As Sasuke continues on his mission to protect the village of Konoha from the outside, he meets a mysterious pair of ninjas. They inflict him with a strange jutsu that sends him into the body another version of his self that lives in an alternate reality where ninjas never existed, and technology seems to rule the world. If only to make things worse, this other version of himself is in some sort of romantic relationship with Naruto!Meanwhile in Konoha, the Alternate-Reality-Sasuke's consciousness is placed into the Shinobi-Sasuke's body. If being thrown into a world full of "magic" and danger weren't enough, he's also got to deal with being married to a woman with a child! And Naruto, who doesn't seem to return any of his feelings.The two Sasukes embark on a journey to return to their real bodies. The Shinobi-Sasuke, who has been stripped of all his power, and the Alternate-Reality-Sasuke who's terrified of this world he's been thrown into and only wants to go home to be with his Naruto.





	1. The Secret of The Purple Mist

**PROLOGUE**

 

In the Hokage’s Chambers, many great things occur. Many heroes sit at that powerful desk and look out at the village of Konohagakure. They see their people mulling about, living peacefully because of their leadership and love. They see their children of the village playing and laughing because the worry and fear of war has left them. This office has seen many things. It has started many lives and ended many conflicts.

On this day, at the Hokage’s chambers, a new journey will begin. 

 

* * *

 

**CHAPTER 1: The Secret of The Purple Mist**

“Hokage-sama,” Nara Shikamaru spoke from the corner of the office, being the first to see the incoming hawk approaching the window. Sitting at the Hokage’s desk, Uzumaki Naruto turned, following Shikamaru’s line of vision.

Naruto got up and opened the window, allowing the messenger bird to come in and land on his outstretched arm. It was one of Sasuke’s. 

Naruto pried the script from the bird’s claws then released it back into the world. After watching its descent, he unrolled the tiny scroll and read its contents.

His eyes widened.

“Shikamaru.” Naruto spoke in a hardened tone. “I need to meet Sasuke outside of Konoha.” He put his hands together and called forth, “Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!” A replica appeared and took his seat at the desk. “I’ll leave a clone here while I’m gone.”

“Should I come with you?” Shikamaru offered but Naruto shook his head.

“No, I’m taking Sakura-chan with me.” 

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow at the mention of their pink-haired kunoichi, “Sakura-san?”

Naruto nodded, “Sasuke asked for her.” Just thinking about that made Naruto worry. It wasn’t that Sasuke didn’t care for Sakura. Naruto was sure there were times that Sasuke felt an urge to see his wife and daughter. But whenever Sasuke sent a message for them to meet, it was usually alone. Whatever was happening, it was serious enough to need their most advanced Medic Nin.

“Take care of things while I’m gone. Hopefully, I won’t be long.” Naruto said and Shikamaru nodded. Then, in an instant, he disappeared, following in the direction the messenger bird went.

* * *

 

Miles away Uchiha Sasuke sat in an abandoned cabin, his cloak sheltering him from the cold while keeping him hidden in the shadows. His side was bleeding badly, but the pain was gone. It felt numb. The heat of his blood made his skin prickle. He grit his teeth as he endured the strange feeling, waiting anxiously for his comrades to arrive.

 _Who was that man in red?_ He mulled over that question for the past few hours. The sun was moving overhead. The sky was becoming dark, scorched in fury of orange and yellow light. 

He turned his head and looked out the open window on the other side of the cabin. It was his only source of light. He stared into the eye of the setting sun. 

He whispered to himself, “When the sun falls west…”

* * *

Hours ago…

It was just another day in the Village Hidden in the Leaves. Having any sort of free time was rare for Sasuke. The leisure of walking casually in the woods was not something the ex-rogue Nin had gotten accustomed to. But, on those rare occasions Sasuke liked to look up at the sky, clear or dreary, and take in its grandeur stature. He liked to feel the wind against his cheeks. Even now in the brisk fall weather, he enjoyed the way the cold air bit at his skin.

But, peace was only temporary for the Uchiha clan survivor. When he sensed the energy of a stranger mixed with the intent to kill, Sasuke didn’t waver. At the same time he didn’t want his enemy to know he was aware of their presence, so instead he continued his casual stride as if he hadn’t noticed. It wasn’t until he heard the deep voice call to him that he fully acknowledged the enemy’s presence. 

“Uchiha Sasuke!” Sasuke stopped, looking over his shoulder to see a man covered from head to toe in red bandages staring down at him from a tall tree. Sasuke readied himself, but didn’t move yet. He gripped the handle of his sword, waiting for the enemy to make the first move. 

“Who are you?” Sasuke asked, still standing unflinchingly in his guarded position. He activated his Rinnegan eye and Sharingan eye as he sensed destruction from the unknown man. 

“My name is of no concern to you.” The man disappeared. Sasuke’s eyes widened, shocked that he hadn’t been able to follow his movement.

Less than a second later the man was crouched in front of him wielding a black sword. Sasuke was able to block the oncoming attack with his own sword. His resilience made the mysterious man chuckle.

“So,” the man spoke. “The rumors are true?” 

Sasuke’s eyes narrowed at the man’s words. He pushed back and the mysterious man flipped into the air and landed a few yards away.

The man continued, “You are fast, Uchiha-san.” He raised his sword, “But not faster than I.” In an instant the man was gone again, and Sasuke was once again taken aback by the idea that he was indeed too fast for even his strong eyes to keep up. 

The man took form again, this time behind Sasuke. Sasuke turned to take his strike, but as he lifted his arm he was struck in the side by the man’s sword.

“Argh!” Sasuke stumbled back, an unrealistic pain coursed through him. He knew immediately that something was in that sword. But what? Poison? A hidden scroll? Some sort of ninjutsu laced weapon?

The man chuckled at Sasuke’s pained expression. “Our meeting must end here. I have given you a gift.”

“What the hell did you do to me?” Sasuke said through gritted teeth. The pain was coursing through his veins worst than any flesh wound he’d experienced. It made it hard to breathe.

The man sheathed his sword before he spoke again, “Don’t worry. It will only hurt for a bit.” He looked up at the sky and Sasuke followed his movement with his eyes. “When the sun falls to the west, you will have your answers.” In a swirl of purple mist, the man disappeared, this time for good.

 

* * *

 

Presently, Sasuke remained hidden in the cabin where he found temporary comfort. Being able to sit on the chilled hardwood floor of the abandoned building allowed his wound time to heal. He pressed his hand against it, utilizing the small amount of healing jutsu that he possessed to try and close the wound. It didn’t close completely, but the bleeding did ease up. 

Exhausted, he let his arm fall to his side. The wound itself was far from serious, but it made him feel as though he had been zapped of all his energy. It was as if, along with his blood, his own chakra had poured out as well. The possibility that he’d been drugged had continued to plague his mind more than once as he waited for Naruto and Sakura’s arrival. The answer to him was still unclear. 

There was definitely something up with that blackened blade. Whatever it did, when it penetrated his flesh, it activated some sort of jutsu Sasuke wasn’t yet able to comprehend.

“It seems it worked better than we had hoped.” A young sounding voice spoke and Sasuke, for the first time in years, felt a bit of fear rush through him. He hadn’t sensed a thing. How was it possible that someone could have gotten this close and he hadn’t felt their chakra? And, what was more terrifying was, he still couldn’t pinpoint their position.

He attempted to stand, but found that his legs pulled him right back down.

Just then, a young girl peeked her head through the window. Her face was covered in white bandages, but her violet pigtails stuck out, one on each side of her head.

“Who…” Sasuke grit his teeth. He was out of breath. It felt like he was about to lose consciousness. “Who are you?” He managed to say.

The girl tilted her head and giggled. “I wouldn’t waste too much energy talking. If you do you’ll die.”

Sasuke had no interest in heeding her warning. He tried to activate his eyes, but they only flickered with a hint of light. “What...” He took in a heavy breath, still attempting to rise to his feet. “What did you do to me?”

The girl jumped through the window, but didn’t respond to his question. She stood in front of him and held her hands forward in the seal of the Ox. “It’s time.” She said then did a flurry of hand signs before calling out words that sent another wave of fear through the usually calm and collected Uchiha. “Forbidden Art.” Sasuke’s eyes widened as she spoke.

What was she planning?

What were they doing to him?

She finished by placing her hands in the sign of the boar, “Shin no Zōchikan no Jutsu!”

Everything went black. 

All of Sasuke senses were gone. For a moment, he was sure that he was dead. Everything was dark and yet his consciousness was still there. There were no emotions, no urges and no will to take action. He understood that he was moving and yet, not moving at all. He couldn’t conjure up tangible thoughts. It was like he was lost in a void and was the void at the same time. It was…

 

* * *

 

“AAARGH!”

Finally there was light.

Sasuke was breathing hard. Was that his voice he heard screaming? He couldn’t see properly. He rubbed his wrists into his eyes but then paused. He had two wrists? Two hands? He removed his hands and opened his eyes, able to see clearly for the first time since waking.

 _Two hands,_ he confirmed with amazement as he stared at his ten fingers. 

He opened and closed his hands a few times and wiggled his fingers for good measure. Was he dead after all?

“Uh…” A voice said and Sasuke jumped, standing up straight and knocking over the chair he hadn't realized he was sitting in.

He took in his surroundings.

Whatever this place was, it wasn’t the abandoned cabin in the woods. It looked like some sort of workplace. All types of ringing and clicking noises could be heard all around. Everyone was wearing suits and ties, or dresses and blouses. There were desks placed in square cubicles where there were oddly shaped electronics lying around and being used. They resembled some of the new technology that he'd seen in the village, but appeared to be somewhat more advanced.

The man sitting beside him was someone he recognized: Nara Shikamaru. His appearance, however, was strange. He wasn’t wearing his Shinobi garbs and equipment. In its place he wore a suit like everyone else and his face was clean-shaven. The only thing that remained the same was his hair, which was pulled back in a neat ponytail. He was looking up at Sasuke with wide, confused eyes. Sasuke looked around and noticed that Shikamaru wasn’t the only one shocked by his behavior. Other faces he didn’t recognize were staring up at him, frightened by the sudden commotion and torn between watching the spectacle and getting back to work.

“What…” Sasuke tried to speak, but found it was hard. He held a hand over his eyes. An intense pounding headache was ringing through his ears and pulse, and making his stomach feel nauseous. His body felt extremely heavy, like it weighed a thousand pounds. He felt weak, void of any real chakra. He couldn’t remember a time where he didn’t feel energy running through his veins.

“Hey man,” Shikamaru, or what Sasuke assumed was some sort of genjutsu lookalike, stood and placed his hands on Sasuke’s shoulders. The “lookalike” spoke to him in a calming voice, “Dude, are you okay? What the hell just happened? You wanna go to the bathroom or something?”

“To the bathroom?” Sasuke said breathlessly. His knees buckled beneath him. The nosy coworkers all gasped when they saw him falling, but Shikamaru was quick enough to catch him before he hit the floor.

“Sasuke!” Shikamaru called out to him. When he saw Sasuke’s head lull back, he realized he was out cold.

 

* * *

 

“Naruto, are you sure this is the right way?” Sakura said as they jumped from trees through the forest outside of Konoha’s gates. They had been on the move for some time. No enemies were spotted along the way, though they kept their guard up as they went.

“Yeah,” Naruto answered from up ahead. “We should get there soon.”

They jumped high, flying above the trees into a nearby clearing. Naruto pointed at the dilapidated cabin hidden behind a few trees, but visible at their high altitude. “There,” Naruto announced and Sakura nodded.

They increased their speed and were in front of the cabin seconds later. They sensed Sasuke’s chakra inside, and he seemed to be alone. Knowing that, they both relaxed their guard and headed for the open window.

One after another they jumped through.

Immediately, they both froze. What was that noise? 

They both looked over and saw Sasuke. He was crumbled to the floor, covering his face with his one arm. His body was shaking and that sound… was he crying?

“Sasuke-kun!” Sakura called to him and rushed to his side. She lifted him up into a sitting position and was about to begin examining him for any injuries but was pushed away so hard that she went flying to the other side of the cabin.

Naruto readied himself in his fighting pose. He glared down at Sasuke but was compelled to hold back his words when Sasuke began speaking.

“Who the hell are you?” His wavering voice made him sound frantic and vulnerable. Sasuke hadn’t noticed Naruto yet and was staring wide-eyed Sakura as she collected herself from the throw. It was as if he was just as shocked by her being so easily flung back as they had been from his aggressive behavior. His eyes were red and hot from his previously shed tears. Sakura stood up straight and blinked at his words, trying to understand them and what they meant. She walked closer, cautiously this time. As she approached she noticed in his new position that he was bleeding from his abdomen. She reached out for him, but he scooted further away.

“Sasuke-kun, it’s me.” She tilted her head, trying to find a glimmer of recognition in his eyes. There was none. “Look, you’re hurt. I need to heal you.”

Sasuke shook his head frantically. “No!” He all but screamed, “Stay away!” He looked increasingly frightened by her presence, like a stray cat being approached by humans for the first time. He opened his mouth to say something else when Naruto beat him to it. 

“Sasuke?” Naruto asked, relaxing his guard and stepping forward just as cautiously as Sakura. Sasuke looked up at him. At the sight of Naruto, more tears formed at the corners of his eyes.

To their surprise, Sasuke stood up and walked to Naruto.

Naruto tensed up, unsure if his friend was regressing back into his old self and was planning to attack.

“Naruto,” Sasuke said weakly. He then wrapped his arm around Naruto’s waist and pulled him into a tight embrace.

Naruto’s face went red. “Uh…” Unsure of what else to do, he lifted his hand to scratch his nose shyly. “Sasuke?” When he said his name this time it seemed to trigger something in Sasuke.

He snuggled closer to Naruto and buried his face into the crook of his neck. Sasuke’s hot breath on him made Naruto squirm. He looked to Sakura for answers but she looked just as shocked as him.

“What the hell is happening here?” Sasuke said, sounding much more calm now after being in Naruto’s arms, but still undeniably panicked. “Why are we dressed like this? Why am I out here in the middle of fucking who knows where, and…” Sasuke closed his eyes and swallowed, sounding ill as he spoke his next question, “Why is one of my arms missing?”

Naruto took in all this information. Sasuke seemed fully conscious. He didn’t feel any type of ominous chakra emanating from him and all of his questions felt genuine.

He decided to probe further, but first, he needed Sasuke to stop holding him like this. So, without seeming too obviously uncomfortable, Naruto took Sasuke’s arm and pulled it from around him. Then he plopped down cross-legged onto the ground and motioned for Sasuke to join him. Sakura did the same, but kept her distance for now.

They needed to figure out exactly what was going on before they took him back to the village. If Sasuke had been compromised then they would know soon enough.

Naruto pressed on his earpiece that linked him to Shikamaru.

“I’m here.” Shikamaru’s voice came through the small speaker.

“I need you to meet us. We’re with Sasuke.” He looked to Sasuke, who was innocently taking in his surroundings, still looking like a frightened child. He continued, “Something’s wrong.”

 

* * *

 

He felt warm, lying underneath a bundle of covers. It was much more comfortable than the woods he was accustomed to sleeping in, or the cheap hotels he frequented in his travels. 

When he opened his eyes his other senses awakened. He was in a sterile white room, similar to the hospital rooms in Konoha. This one, however, was littered with beeping machines and unusual medical tools. There was a television on the wall, but there was no sound coming from it. When he looked down at himself he saw a needle strapped to his arm. He tried to sit up, but found that it wasn’t something he could do as easily as it should’ve been.

“Sasuke?”

He turned to the familiar sounding voice and felt himself relax a bit when his eyes met Naruto’s bright blue ones. He never thought he’d be so happy to see this loser in his life. But, Naruto's appearance was just as strange as every else. He was dressed in slacks and a button up, not his usual Hokage get up. He was sitting in the corner of the room in a small chair with a blanket over his shoulders. When he saw Sasuke wake up, he’d sat up straight with a look of relief Sasuke didn’t fully understand.

“Naruto, where am I?” Sasuke asked as he was finally able to sit up, slowly this time. Luckily his headache had subsided and apart from feeling stiff, he felt relatively healthy. 

Naruto grinned. Ignoring Sasuke’s question, he got up from the chair and approached the bed. To Sasuke’s surprise, the blond sat beside him and pulled Sasuke into his arms.

“Hey!” Sasuke put both his hands on Naruto’s chest and tried to push him off. Why the hell did it feel like the idiot was stronger than him? “Get off. What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

Again, Naruto ignored him and snuggled his face into Sasuke’s neck, igniting Sasuke’s pale skin and turning it a deep shade of pink.

“You bastard. I was so worried about you when Shikamaru called.” Naruto said in words muffled by Sasuke’s neck.

Sasuke squirmed, continuing his attempt at shoving Naruto off.

After another tight squeeze, Naruto finally allowed himself to be pushed back. He lifted an eyebrow at Sasuke’s behavior, “What’s wrong? Why are you suddenly so shy?”

“Shy? What the hell are you talking about, moron?” Sasuke grit out the words, hating that his cheeks still felt ten degrees over heated. What the hell was this moron thinking, hugging him like that? And he dared to ask why Sasuke would push him away. 

Naruto tilted his head to the side, “Are you okay?” He asked softly and pushed Sasuke’s hair back from his face without permission, letting his tanned fingers rest within Sasuke’s messy black hair.

Sasuke slapped the hand away, glaring fire at Naruto as if he would burn him alive right then and there. 

“Touch me like that again, and I’ll kill you.” Sasuke’s tone held no joking elements. Naruto’s eyes went wide with hurt and confusion. Sasuke was just as confused. Was this really some sort of twisted genjutsu? If it were, he wouldn’t be aware that it was a genjutsu, right? Wouldn’t it disappear once he was able to clear his mind of the illusion?

“Sasuke… I…” Naruto started to speak, but was interrupted when the door to the room was opened. Sasuke recognized the girl who entered well. Standing there with a clipboard in her hand, wearing blue scrubs and a lab coat was his pink haired wife, Sakura. But her hair, it didn’t look right. It was pink but the roots were black as if it wasn’t natural.

“Sakura…” Sasuke said and the pink haired doctor gave him a shocked, but pleasant look.

“Wow, so you remember my name? You seemed like you were out cold when your friend brought you in yesterday.” She said easily as she walked around the room to a small stool beside Sasuke’s hospital bed. Sasuke watched her move, amazed by her lack of interest in him and the way she spoke to him as if they’d just met.

Naruto’s slumped body and dejected look also perplexed Sasuke. What the hell was going on here? 

As Sakura lifted his arm and began feeling his pulse, she was speaking again in a tone that suggested she could be trusted, but lacked the familiarity Sasuke was accustomed to, “Do you remember how you got here Uchiha-san?”

_Uchiha-san?_

“Where am I?” Sasuke asked for the second time since waking, hoping to receive some sort of concrete response this time. Sakura lifted the stethoscope that dangled around her neck and stuck the plugs into her ears while giving Sasuke a kind smile. She leaned over and placed the other end against his chest as she spoke, “You’re at the Tokyo Medical University Hospital.”

“To-kyo?” Sasuke said, unfamiliar with such a place. “How far is this village from Konoha?”

Sakura looked up at him briefly, as if mulling over his question’s meaning, then back down at his chest. Instead of properly responded she asked, “Can you take in a deep breath for me?”

He did as he was told, hoping that his cooperation would lead to answers sooner rather than later.

“What is Konoha, Uchiha-san?” Sakura asked then as he held in his deep breath. His eyes widened at her. Was she being serious? “You can let it out now, slowly,” he followed her orders and she seemed to be satisfied with the results. She removed the pieces from her ears and let the stethoscope dangle once again as she awaited his response to her earlier question.

He looked to Naruto who appeared to be confused by Sasuke's words. 

Sasuke realized that in these moments, it was best if he was the one in charge of the conversation. He had a suspicion about what was going on, but he had to be sure. So, instead of answering her question that seemed to have an obvious answer, he responded with, “Where’s Sarada.” A part of him hoped she wouldn’t give him the answer he was expecting.

But she said exactly what he’d thought she would. She shook her head, “I’m not sure who Sarada is. Is she from Konoha?” She pulled her clipboard up and began jotting down notes.

Naruto placed a hand on Sasuke’s shoulder, drawing his attention back to the blonde.

“Sasuke, what’s gotten into you?”

Sasuke looked down at the hand touching him. Had Naruto not heard his previous warning about unwarranted contact? 

Sasuke seethed, glaring at the offending appendage until Naruto got the idea and slowly removed it.

Sakura stood after that and motioned towards Naruto. “Would you join me outside for a moment, Uzumaki-san?”

Again with the strange formalities…

Sasuke was slowly realizing that, genjutsu or not, this wasn’t his world. Konoha didn’t exist to them, and yet they were here. Naruto, Sakura, Shikamaru and possibly more people he knew from home. None of them seemed to know anything about him, and yet both Naruto and Shikamaru were familiar with him on a certain level. He was still trying to figure out which level Naruto was on, but tried not to think too hard on that at the moment. It was possible that the Sasuke they knew wasn’t him at all. 

He watched Naruto get up and follow Sakura out the room, all the while sending hurt and worrisome glances his way. Sasuke shivered in discomfort once the door to the room was closed.

Finally alone in the room, Sasuke felt his abdomen and confirmed that the stab wound he'd gotten from that man in red was gone. He lifted the papery hospital gown and examined his body that was clear of it's usual scars given to him from countless battles. This body looked like his, but it was clear to him that it wasn't. 

Sasuke got up from the bed after that, tossing the covers aside and stepping over them as he approached the closed door. He leaned over and pressed his ear against the door. Their voices were faint but he could clearly make out what they were saying.

Sakura: “Has he ever had any episodes like this before?”

Naruto: “No! I’ve never seen him like this.”

Sakura: “What about at home? He hasn’t said or done anything unusual?”

Sasuke thought about her words for a moment. “ _At home?"_  What the hell did that mean?

Naruto: “No. Just yesterday he was acting normal.”

Sakura: “Hmm. Well, this is very unusual. He seemed like he knew me, but I’m sure I’ve never met him before. We might be looking at some sort of psychosis, in which case we’ll have to keep him a few days to observe his behavior.”

Sasuke backed away from the door after that. He had a general idea of what she meant. If he was going to get any answers, he needed to cooperate and get the hell out of this strange hospital.

He heard shuffling outside of the door, and quickly returned to his bed before Sakura swung the door open. She led Naruto back into the room, whose eyes immediately focused on Sasuke.

“Well Sasuke,” Sakura walked around and resumed her seat in the small stool next to his bed. She lifted her clipboard up along with her pen before speaking again, “What did you mean about a village? Is that where Sarada is?”

Sasuke looked into her calculating eyes then at Naruto, who instead of sitting back beside Sasuke, was standing far away in the corner of the room. Sasuke sighed and shook his head, “Sorry, I must have been confused when I woke up.”

Sakura’s shoulders sagged. She looked to Naruto who was smiling at Sasuke’s change of heart.

“Oh…” Sakura looked back at Sasuke and nodded. She cleared her throat and rested her clipboard down on her thighs. “Well then, that’s good. I’ll just submit your vitals and then I’ll set you up for discharge.”

 

* * *

 

Shikamaru arrived at the cabin along with Ino minutes after receiving Naruto’s message. After hearing the short version of the situation, he had a feeling they’d need the assistance of someone who’s specialty went far beyond his and the Hokage’s.

When they leapt through the cabin window, he spotted the old team seven sitting in a triangle on the depleted wooden floor.

“Hokage-sama,” Shikamaru said, announcing their presence, though both Naruto and Sakura had felt them approaching from miles back. Sasuke was the only one to turn back with wide eyes at the newcomers.

Sasuke stood up when his eyes met Shikamaru’s. “Shika, what the hell! You’re here too?”

“Shika?” both Ino and Shikamaru parroted the strange nickname. It was even stranger coming from Sasuke’s mouth.

Sasuke laughed, sounding like he was on the brink of going insane. “Honestly, what the fuck is going on?”

Naruto stood and placed a comforting hand on Sasuke’s shoulder. Sasuke looked at him with dark, whimpering eyes (again a strange expression for the Sasuke Naruto knew) but nodded at Naruto’s silent reassurance. They both sat back down and waited for Ino and Shikamaru to join them in their little circle.

“You know who he is?” Naruto asked Sasuke, pointing his thumb at Shikamaru who’d just crouched down beside him.

Sasuke nodded. “Of course, he’s my best friend. Idiot, you know that.”

Everyone’s eyes widened at this. Shikamaru barely considered them to be acquaintances, let alone friends.

Ino crawled closer to Sasuke and looked deep into his eyes, an action that caused him to lean further away. “What about me?” She asked and Sasuke looked away.

“Maybe? You look sort of familiar. Maybe we had class together at Tokyo University?”

Ino blinked at the new information. “Tokyo?” She looked to the others who were just as clueless. She looked back at Sasuke, “Where’s that?”

Sasuke looked back at her and glared. “Where’s what?”

“Tokyo?”

“Are you stupid?” His comment made the nerves in her temple twitch, but she ignored it and waited for a clear answer. He continued, “The capital of Japan; _the_ technology metropolitan of the world. Aren’t we _in_ Japan?” He looked around, as if the answer was somewhere lying in this dark and gloomy cabin.

They’d never heard of such a place. Even so, they didn’t want to dwell on that, but mentally took note of this “Tokyo”. Ino instead chose to dig deeper with a different line of questioning. “Do you have a job?” She asked and Sasuke ignored her for a moment to glare at Naruto.

“Why am I doing this? Why won’t you just tell me what’s going on?” He sounded like he was tearing up again, so Naruto reached out and grabbed his hand. Naruto smiled softly at Sasuke, understanding that for some reason Sasuke found comfort in him.

“Sasuke, please just answer the questions for now.” Naruto spoke in a tone that seemed to relax Sasuke. His pale hand gripped onto Naruto’s, and when Naruto didn’t pull away he gave Naruto a small, but forced, smile and nodded.

Shikamaru’s eyebrow rose at the interaction. He looked to Sakura for answers but her equally bewildered look gave him no real explanation.

Sasuke’s eyes focused on Ino’s once again before he answered, “Yeah. I work at a publishing house in the city with Shika.” He nodded towards Shikamaru.

Ino nodded thoughtfully, then continued with her questioning, “What’s the last thing you remember doing before you got here?”

Sasuke thought about this for a moment, “I was at work.” He looked over at Shikamaru, “You were telling me about the hockey game I missed.”

Hockey? The all pondered the mention of this mysterious "game". Was that some sort of competition or sport?

Ino continued, “What about kids. Do you have any?” 

Sasuke scrunched his nose up at this and shook his head.

His reaction turned Sakura’s stomach. She looked away, suddenly overwhelmed with emotion. _Sarada._ She thought about her sweet daughter. Sarada loved her father so much, even if he wasn’t around. She knew Sasuke loved her too, but… 

“Are you married or seeing someone?” Ino pressed on, and Sasuke nodded his head. Sakura brightened at his response, hoping he’d just had a sudden lapse in memory and would at least remember the marriage bond they shared. But then he looked to Naruto and everyone’s eyes widened considerably.

“Of course,” Sasuke said in a small voice. “He’s my partner.” He indicated Naruto with a nod.

Both of Naruto’s eyebrows rose. He asked for clarification, “Partner?”

Sasuke’s expression twisted into something like hurt and anger before he responded, “Yes idiot. Gay marriage isn’t legal in Japan. We’ve been together for ten years. Why do I even have to tell you this?”

Naruto’s heart was ramming in his chest, overcome by the news. It all made sense now, why Sasuke was so heavily relying on him during all of this.

Sakura couldn’t take it anymore. She stood abruptly, turning everyone’s eyes on her. She tried to give everyone a smile to let them know she was okay, but it turned out to be more like a grimace. She looked down at them and shook her head, “I need some fresh air.” She choked out the words then ran towards the window and leapt outside into the darkness.

Naruto watched her go and stood to go follow her but was stopped by Sasuke’s strong hand which locked his in a tight grip.

Sasuke looked up at him with those same pleading eyes. “Please don’t leave me.” Sasuke whispered, his words only for Naruto to hear but Ino and Shikamaru had heard them well enough. Naruto was torn, looking between his two childhood friends, knowing they both needed some sort of comforting.

Naruto kneeled down in front of Sasuke and ruffled his hair, something he'd done more than a few time to Boruto in an attempt to patch up a misunderstanding. He felt that it was appropriate, even if it was a bit awkward. “I have to make sure Sakura-chan’s okay,” Naruto explained with a small smile.

Sasuke glared and tightened his grip on Naruto’s hand. “Are you kidding me?” He bit the words out in an angry whisper. “Who the hell is that woman? And what does she need comforting for?” He looked at Shikamaru and Ino and spoke in a higher tone to address everyone, “Why are we out here in the middle of fucking nowhere and why won’t you guys answer me honestly?” Sasuke’s eyes became wide with rage; he was losing control. The situation was starting to get to him. “And this!” He stood up and lifted what was left of his left arm. “Why am I missing a fucking arm? And why does it look like it’s been gone for years?” He was shouting now. The three ninja knew they’d have to subdue him. Sasuke likely didn’t realize it, but his eyes were glowing red with the Sharingan. He was seething now, and looking like he was ready to kill. He continued in a menacing tone, “If I don’t get any answers soon, I swear to god I will…”

Sasuke was cut off by the sharp chop to the pressure point in his neck. His eyes lulled back along with his limp body. Naruto, who stood behind him after successfully knocking him out caught him in his arms, and lowered his body to the floor.

He stood up straight with the other two as they all looked down at Sasuke.

Ino spoke up first, “I think I know what’s going on.”

They looked up to their blond kunoichi for answers.

She continued, “I’ve heard of a forbidden jutsu created by a rival clan of the Yamanaka Clan. It was only a rumor, but..."

"But," Naruto insisted.

"Well, I'd have to look into the clan itself. They've completely erased their name from history. But they're known in my clan as The Purple Mist. They specialize in a ninjutsu similar to my clan that's fused with their own dark genjutsu. It seems like whatever happened to Sasuke is a product of their power. What they can do is a step far up from the Shintenshin no Jutsu.”

“A step far up?” Naruto questioned as he looked back down to observe Sasuke’s sleeping face.

“It’s hard to fully grasp, but…” Ino went on, thinking of how she could explain what she understood of Sasuke’s predicament. “It’s likely that this isn’t our Sasuke at all.”

“Do you mean that he’s been possessed?” Naruto asked.

“That’s impossible.” Shikamaru concluded. “He knew who we were. Well, most of us…” He thought about Sakura then, and couldn’t help but feel bad for the girl. “He knew who he was, but his version of himself and us were very different from reality.”

“Exactly,” Ino nodded. “He is Uchiha Sasuke, but he’s also not. Get it?”

Naruto squinted his eyes and scratched his chin, wondering if the actions would help his understanding. “Uh… sort of?” He lied. He couldn’t understand how this person could be Sasuke at all.

Ino shook her head, reframing from calling her Hokage an idiot as she used to do back in their academy days. She instead explained further. “The Shintenshin technique allows us to temporarily transport our souls into our opponent.” She pointed down at Sasuke. “This soul is identical, but it’s not _our_ Sasuke's soul. The same soul but different; the only way that could be possible is—”

“A soul brought here from an alternate reality.” Shikamaru finished her thought, and she nodded in agreement.

“Right. So if this version of Sasuke is from a different world entirely, it’s possible that our Sasuke—”

“Is in their world.” Naruto finished this time and Ino nodded encouragingly, seeing that he finally understood.

“There has to be a way to reverse it,” Ino continued. “I’ll have to look into it. We need to figure out if this jutsu was done by The Purple Mist. And if so, we need to know their identities and why they targeted Sasuke of all people. The only way to reverse this sort of complex jutsu is to get the 'cure' from the source. But in the meantime,” she looked to Naruto. “We can’t let Sasuke become distressed. He’s too strong and has no idea how to control his chakra. If he gets too riled up he could end up killing many people or even himself. That might just be what the enemy wants.”

Naruto nodded, “I understand. We’ll get Sasuke back to the Hokage tower. Ino, I need you to explain things to Sakura-chan for me.” He kneeled down and grabbed Sasuke’s arm, then pulled it securely over his shoulder. “Shikamaru!”

“Right.” 

After watching them disappear, Ino left the cabin in search for her childhood friend.

 

* * *

 

They were discharged from the hospital soon after Sakura left the room. Sasuke was given a pair of jeans, a long sleeve shirt and jacket to change into, which Naruto had brought from _“their home”_. All of which felt a bit tight and suffocating to wear.

He pulled at the neckline of his shirt as they exited the hospital, trying to make it easier for him to breathe. Naruto was beside him, constantly peeking at him as they stood at the side of the road waiting for something called a “taxi”.

Fed up with Naruto’s continued staring, Sasuke turned to him with a glare, “What the hell are you looking at, moron?”

Naruto flinched at the harsh tone, and gave Sasuke an insecure smile. He was used to the insults, but it had been years since he had heard them laced with so much venom. “Are you sure you’re alright?”

“I’m fine.” He didn’t want to raise any suspicion. But, truth be told, he was far from fine. Looking at the massive world around him was daunting. They were surrounded by taller than life buildings, people wearing the same thing: suits, dresses and blouses, and some younger ones wearing strange identical uniforms. All types of noises Sasuke had never heard and wasn’t accustomed to were abusing his sensitive ears. Strangely shaped hunks of metal whipped down the streets, blaring noises and shooting out lights. They seemed to be their people’s unique form of transportation. Lights were turning on and off, people were calling out and waving around products from what he understood to be street vendors, and nobody felt connected.

In Konoha, there was a camaraderie that everyone understood and maintained. Here, it felt like everyone was a stranger to everyone. Everyone was disconnected and instead had their eyes glued to their individual electronic mobile devices.

In short, was Sasuke okay? No. Not even almost. It was safe to say that he was the furthest thing from okay. But he was trained enough not to let his panic show on his face. He needed answers, but in this obnoxious city, he wasn’t sure where to start.

“Sasuke,” Naruto’s voice interrupted his musing. Right after, his tanned face moved in front of Sasuke’s, blocking his view of what they called: Tokyo. Sasuke grit his teeth. Naruto was way too close.

He placed a firm hand on Naruto’s chest and shoved him back, only succeeding in getting him a few inches away. Again, Naruto looked hurt.

He rubbed the spot on his chest where Sasuke pushed him and frowned. “Why are you acting like you don’t want to be with me?”

Sasuke’s eye twitched at the statement. “What are you talking about?”

Just then a yellow hunk of moving metal stopped in front of him. Naruto stepped forward, ignoring Sasuke’s question, and opened a piece of it (that revealed itself to be a door), that led to a long fabric covered seat. He motioned for Sasuke to get in first. And in response, with a bit of hesitation, Sasuke slid into the unusual compact hunk of technology.

Naruto got in next and gave the man sitting up front an address that Sasuke didn’t recognize, not that he expected to. Then, the contraption shifted and rumbled. Seconds later they were moving forward at a steady pace. 

Sasuke eyes were wide as all of this happened. He used his hands to feel around the interior, even reaching up to touch the ceiling.

He felt a pair of eyes on him, so as his hands rubbed over the felt ceiling, he turned his head to meet Naruto’s amused eyes.

“What?” He said; hating that Naruto was giving him such a stupid look.

Naruto tilted his head, “You’re acting like you’ve never been in a car before.”

“A car?” Sasuke wanted to say the words himself to see how they sounded on his tongue. “Car.” He repeated the word again.

Naruto smiled sadly and shook his head at Sasuke, who seemed to be lost in his own thoughts now.

Naruto wasn’t sure what to make of this situation. What the hell could've caused such a change in Sasuke? Their mutual friend, Shikamaru, had called him the day before explaining that Sasuke suddenly freaked out at work and he'd taken him to the hospital. Naruto was so worried that he left work immediately to be with him. When he'd gotten there Sasuke was out cold, and didn't wake up until the next day, a couple hours ago. Since then it was like Sasuke had suffered from some sort of brain injury. He seemed to remember Naruto well enough, but he was so unaffectionate and distant that it was like he was a completely different person. It felt like he was in the car with high school Sasuke who openly rejected him, not the Sasuke he’d been in a committed relationship with for the past ten years who, just two days ago, was riding him on their living room couch and telling him how much he loved him.

Something was definitely up. But Naruto could see that whatever it was, Sasuke wanted to wait until they had complete privacy to tell him. So until then, he wouldn’t push too hard.

Sasuke busied himself with his own thoughts as he examined the vehicle. He needed to figure out what was happening to him and how he’d get back to Konoha. He wasn’t sure if telling Naruto the truth would be more harmful or helpful to his mission. From what Sasuke had concluded thus far, this had to be the works of some sort of advanced genjutsu. Shin no Zōchikan? He wondered if this jutsu had anything to do with Madara’s Infinite Tsukiyomi technique. However with that jutsu, it was understood that those under the spell would have no awareness, and would simply be in their illusory world. Sasuke, on the other hand, was far too intuitive and responsive to his environment. He had complete control of his mind and actions, and recalled every moment of his time in Konoha up to the moment when those two masked ninja entrapped him in this hell.

It was possible, and became increasingly clear to Sasuke, that this world he was in was just as real as his world where Konoha existed. If he was going to get anywhere in his quest for home, he’d need to find someone who knew something, anything, about his world.

As they continued on their ride, Sasuke idly poked at the screen in the back of the taxi, seemingly amazed when it reacted to his fingers. Naruto watched but didn't comment on his off behavior. Sasuke’s eyes were narrowed and so serious, as if he had no idea how ridiculous he looked.

Naruto chuckled and shook his head. This whole situation felt so weird. He was almost hoping Sasuke would smile at him and say “Just kidding, idiot” or something like that. But, when the taxi pulled to a stop, Sasuke remained passive. Naruto pulled out his wallet, and next his credit card. He swiped it on the side of the screen, which Sasuke found to be a fascinating action. He selected his tip option from the choices presented, and then thanked the driver. Next, he opened the door and stepped out, holding it open and waiting for Sasuke to follow his lead. 

When the taxi pulled off, they turned to look up at the brick townhouse.

“What is this place?” Sasuke asked, turning to Naruto who again looked like he’d been punched in the gut with his words.

“Our home…” Naruto looked away. Choosing not to dwell on Sasuke’s question outside, he walked forward and led them up to the front door.

After unlocking the door, they both shuffled inside. Naruto toed his shoes off and looked at Sasuke, expecting him to do the same. Sasuke understood the cue and kneeled down to undo the complicated laces of the shoes he’d been given. When Naruto saw him there struggling, he kneeled down and undid them for him, placing the shoes one by one next to his as he pulled them off.

Sasuke watched Naruto do this, their faces once again far too close for his comfort.

Once he was done, Naruto remained in his kneeled position and looked into Sasuke’s eyes.

He reached a hand out and touched Sasuke’s cheek, then rubbed it softly with his thumb. Sasuke watched him do this with his eyes narrowed into a heated glare.

“Why do you keep touching me?” Sasuke finally asked, seeing as _this_ Naruto had some compulsory need to invade his personal space.

Naruto’s thumb stilled against Sasuke’s cheek. He responded with a question of his own. “Why do you hate it so much?”

Sasuke pushed Naruto’s hand away then, “Why wouldn’t I?” 

Naruto looked angry for the first time since Sasuke had woken up in this world. He glared at Sasuke, “Because we’re partners, Sasuke. Pretty sure touching came with the title.”

“Partners?”

Naruto stood after that; the frustration he’d been feeling towards Sasuke since he's woke up was at its limit.

He walked away from Sasuke and ran a hand through his hair. Sasuke stood up and walked after him into what appeared to be a well-furnished common area.

“Naruto, don’t walk away from me,” Sasuke commanded and Naruto stopped briskly. The muscles in his back were clearly tensed. He allowed himself a moment to breathe, and in doing so Sasuke saw those muscles relax.

Naruto turned to face Sasuke again, still looking frustrated, but also hurt, “What the hell has gotten into you?” He walked forward and stood a foot away from Sasuke. Close enough for it to be considered intimate, but far enough to avoid Sasuke’s continued rejection.

Sasuke was unable to answer the question. He didn’t want to get into this sort of thing with Naruto. He needed to get out of here and start finding clues as to how he’d get home.

“Sasuke, you… you still love me, right?” His words sent Sasuke reeling in an instant. _Love?_ Sasuke’s eyes widened and his throat went dry. _What the hell is this idiot on about?_

Sasuke swallowed his thoughts and straightened his composure. “Did I say that I loved you?” He asked seriously and this time Naruto’s eyes widened. He misinterpreted Sasuke’s words.

Naruto let out a shaky breath, unable to control the unsteady emotions building within him. Was Sasuke breaking up with him? That’s what it felt like. But, why like this? Why out of the blue? Why in such a strange way? 

“Sasuke,” Naruto took a step forward, grabbing for Sasuke’s hand, which was moved away before he could reach it.

Sasuke turned away and headed for the large, ugly, orange couch in the middle of the room. He sat down in it, noting that it was very comfortable despite its looks, and motioned for Naruto to sit next to him.

When Naruto did Sasuke turned to him and pinned him down with his intense stare. “Naruto, I need you to listen to me and promise that whatever I say, you’ll believe me.”

Naruto nodded eagerly, relieved that the first words that came out of Sasuke mouth weren’t “we should split up” or the like. 

“I’m not supposed to be here.”

Naruto was shocked to hear this, but remained silent, allowing Sasuke to fully flush out his thoughts.

“I’m not from here. I’m not the Sasuke you know.” Sasuke said this then looked around the home. He spotted pictures of a man that looked like him but wore an expression he’d never recalled making, next to Naruto who always seemed to have his arm around him. Sasuke ran a hand through his hair, frustrated that because he didn’t fully understand his own situation, it was harder to explain. “I’m not from this world. In the world I’m from we’re ninjas. You’re my rival, not my…” he hesitated to say the word, “lover.” He looked up at the ceiling, thinking about what else he should say to help Naruto understand where he was coming from. “I’m married. I have a daughter. You have two brats of your own. I live outside the village that you protect, not in this domestic cohabitation you and the other me seemed to have built. I need to find a way to get back. And hopefully, you’ll get the Sasuke you know back as well. But until then, I need to find someone who knows about Konohagakure.”

Sasuke looked at Naruto after this. Naruto was just staring at him with his eyes wide and his mouth hanging open. A moment later his mouth closed and his eyes sparkled with humor. Sasuke sighed when he realized Naruto was trying his best not to laugh at him.

But, Naruto’s efforts were for naught because in seconds the laughter spilled out. He was bent over with his hand on his aching stomach, laughing so hard that Sasuke could see tears forming at the corners of his eyes. In between his laughter he managed to say, “Jesus Christ, Sasuke.” More laughter. “You really didn’t have to go this far! This is too much.” More laughter.

Sasuke watched him silently with his glaring eyes. All the while Naruto ignored the intensity of his stare and continued to pick fun at Sasuke’s story.

Naruto leaned back and wiped his eyes with the back of his hand, “If you were gonna try and fool me with a story like that, you probably should’ve left out the kids part.” He got up and walked off from the couch, “I like the part about me being a leader though. Protector of a village… how cool.” It seemed like Naruto was talking to himself as he disappeared into the kitchen.

Sasuke was irritated now. It appeared as though getting Naruto to believe him was out of the question for now. In all honesty, if Sasuke was in his position, he might chalk it up to Naruto being off his rockers. But now what?

He got up from the couch and walked over to a side table where he’d seen a few pictures. He wanted to get a better look. He thought, perhaps, they would help him get a better understanding of the world he was in. He lifted one up. It was of the two of them: Sasuke and Naruto. They looked about twenty or so. They were at some sort of restaurant. Naruto had his arm around Sasuke’s shoulder and was leaned over with his lips pressed against Sasuke’s head. Sasuke turned his nose up at the image and placed it back down. The next picture made him stop breathing for a moment. It wasn’t a picture like the last. 

Itachi…

He held a hand over his mouth as he examined it.

This Itachi looked much older than the Itachi he’d last seen in his world. In the image, Itachi was standing next to a woman with short black hair. Her face looked familiar, but her clothes and hair were so bizarre to him that it was hard to place where he’d seen her.

“What’re ya looking at?” Naruto’s voice made him jump, but not as much as his presence did. Naruto’s head was nearly resting on Sasuke’s shoulder as he stood close behind him and looked down at the image Sasuke was observing.

“Who is this woman?” Sasuke asked, though tempted to elbow Naruto for being so close, and yet for some reason, he didn’t. He didn’t want to admit to himself the he’d grown tired of seeing Naruto’s crestfallen expression after being pushed away so many times. And, to Sasuke’s chagrin, it seems that the Sasuke in this world was indeed romantically involved with the Naruto of this world. If Naruto didn’t believe his story, then the only thing Sasuke could do was play along, for now.

Instead of answering, Naruto placed a warm hand on Sasuke’s forehead and spoke into his ear, “Hey Sasuke, this joke is going on for too long. Are you sick or something?”

Sasuke couldn’t take the closeness anymore, so he slid away from Naruto, trying to appear less frazzled and irritated than he had in his previous attempts to get the blond idiot to back off. He shook his head, “No, I’m not joking. Just tell me.”

Naruto placed the image down and finally answered, though looked skeptical as he spoke, “That’s Konan. Your sister-in-law.”

Sasuke’s eyes widened. _Konan: that Akatsuki woman? My sister-in-law? Itachi's wife? What the hell?_

“He’s not dead.” Sasuke whispered to himself.

Naruto tilted his head, having barely heard what he’d said, “What?” Naruto asked, and Sasuke took that as his cue to pull himself from his own thoughts.

He shook his head and felt that the action made him a bit dizzy. He gripped onto his forehead and the action caused Naruto to approach him with concerned eyes.

“You okay?” Naruto asked and placed a hand on his shoulder to steady him.

Sasuke was suddenly feeling very exhausted. This body was so weak; Sasuke wasn’t sure how to balance the small amount of energy it held.

His vision was becoming blurry, so he turned to Naruto and spoke before he ended up fainting again, “I need to lie down. Where is the bed?”

Naruto nodded and without Sasuke’s permission, hoisted him in the bridal position and carried him towards the stairs that led up to their room. Sasuke grit his teeth and used one hand to push against Naruto’s chest and the other on Naruto’s face. “What are you doing, jackass! Put me down!” he squirmed in Naruto’s grip, while Naruto struggled to find his way up the stairs with Sasuke’s hand over his eyes.

“Gah! Stop it, Sasuke, or I’ll drop you!” Naruto moved his head back to break free from Sasuke’s hand, but Sasuke was relentless.

“Good! I don’t need to be carried like some woman!” 

“But you looked like you were gonna faint!”

“Just put me down, you idiot!”

“Urgh, fine!” Naruto was halfway up the steps when he set Sasuke down on his feet. Sasuke huffed and made to step up but found that his legs felt like jelly and immediately gave out beneath him. He was falling back when Naruto caught him again, looking smug. “See? Just let me help you, damn bastard.”

Sasuke grumbled and turned his face away from Naruto, hating how weak he looked, even if to this Naruto he was perhaps always this weak.

He allowed himself to lean against Naruto, but refused to be picked up in the same manor as before. Naruto easily dragged him up the stairs and led him down the hall to the master bedroom.

It was large and decorated with a mixture of blue and orange furniture. Naruto pulled Sasuke over to the king sized bed and carefully set him down. When Sasuke felt the comfortable mattress underneath him, he felt a wave of exhaustion hit him. He allowed Naruto to pull off the jacket he was wearing and next the long sleeved shirt. When Naruto’s hands went down to his pants he grabbed them, feeling his cheeks heat up. “I’ve got it,” he said and Naruto smiled at him, but put his hands to the side anyway.

Then, Naruto did something Sasuke wasn’t sure he was prepared for. He leaned in and pressed his lips firmly against Sasuke’s in a slow kiss.

Their lips had connected twice in Sasuke’s life. Both times were seemingly accidental. It had never been so intentional, purposeful, or full of emotion. When they parted, Naruto looked into his eyes and smiled. While he ran his fingers through Sasuke’s hair, Sasuke couldn’t find the strength to push him away this time. Naruto leaned forward and gave him another peck on the lips before he stood up, looking satisfied. Sasuke was still only staring, looking dumbfounded.

“Get some rest, I'll start preparing dinner.” Naruto said, then turned and walked out of the room. When the door was closed behind him Sasuke collapsed onto the bed.

_What the hell kind of world is this?_

Sasuke touched his lips with his fingers.

Why did that kiss feel so good? Every other time they’d somewhat kissed Sasuke was sure he remembered feeling disgusted. Was it because of this body that wasn’t really his; this body that was apparently so used to Naruto's touch? Was that the reason why he was reacting this way?

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! 
> 
> Thank you for making it through the first chapter! I can only hope that you enjoyed it. I had a lot of fun writing this, so I'd love to know what you think about the story so far. 
> 
> I'm not exactly sure when chapter 2 will come out, but hopefully by next week. (If you've read any of my other stories you'll know that I usually post again after about 7 days) but we'll see with this one.
> 
> Anyway, I'll post again soon! Until then~ XOXO


	2. Kage Bunshin no Jutsu

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I knoooow. I took so long for this update. But, now it's here~ And I hope you enjoy :>

The second time Sasuke woke up in this strange world, it was to the comfort of an oversized bed, far too big for just him. Naruto was sleeping with his face towards him and a heavy arm carelessly thrown over Sasuke’s waist. Sasuke snarled, but resisted the urge to break it. Instead, he gently pushed it off so that he could sit up.

The room was lit by the warm morning light, and for the first time he was able to really take in his surroundings. It was clean, but, as he noted the night before, the color scheme was hideous. Even so, it did feel like a mixture of his own tastes and likely that of the moron’s. It was a little disconcerting to think about. Whatever life the other “him” was living, it was deeply intertwined with this Naruto’s. It made him wonder things he’d never thought to wonder about before. Like perhaps, if he hadn’t lived the life of a warrior, would he fall for someone like Naruto? Another man? His rival? His friend?

He shook his head before he could delve deeper into what was quickly becoming uncharted territory. None of that mattered right now. What he needed to focus on was how to get out of this world and back to his real body. 

He felt unusually sluggish as he dragged himself from the bed to a door in the corner of the room. He was lucky to find that it was the bathroom and took a moment to relieve his self. Afterwards he splashed his face with some water and looked up into the mirror. It was strange, this body. He looked like himself, maybe a bit younger without all constant life or death battles taking away his years. His hair was different, not particularly unpleasant, but strange since he’d grown used to the way it fell to his shoulders.

His eyes were the most daunting. Not only did they hold no power, but also, they stared back at him, his reflection, as if they knew he didn’t belong in this body. It felt like another person was staring at him, and it was, for lack of better words, scary. 

“G’mornin,” Naruto’s gruff voice took him away from his thoughts and reflection. He turned to see Naruto stumbling in with a hand rubbing over his eyes. This Naruto was well-built, somehow bulkier than the one he’d grown up with. No doubt, much weaker. Naruto yawned, and approached Sasuke, disregarding the way Sasuke looked at him like a frightened animal or the way Sasuke stiffened when he placed his tanned hands on his hips and gently moved him away from the mirror. “Hog,” Naruto grumbled and pulled out his orange toothbrush and paste.

Sasuke’s skin felt hot from the unnecessary touch, but he didn’t say anything. He realized if he were going to get through this, he’d need help. And, as much as he hated the idea, this love-struck Naruto was the only person he could rely on right now. Even if the idiot didn’t believe his story, _and was still an idiot_.

Sasuke watched Naruto brush his teeth with his arms crossed, waiting patiently. Naruto looked over at him and lifted an inquisitive brow. The look in his eye was playful, but Sasuke didn’t know why. He just sat there, trying not to glare, while Naruto scrubbed at his gums.

“Bwat?” Naruto tried to say with his mouth full of foam. He bent over and spat into the sink. While he ran water over it, he turned to Sasuke again. “Why’re you staring at me like that?” He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

“I’m waiting.” Sasuke answered honestly. 

Naruto seemed to take his words and make them mean something else, because he leaned in to kiss him and Sasuke instinctually leaned back.

His glare hardened, “What are you doing?”

Naruto grinned and closed the distance between them, this time before Sasuke could react. The kiss was short, but still made Sasuke’s face heat up to an uncomfortable degree. He would chalk the strange twist in his stomach down to plain nausea.

“Nothing,” Naruto answered, carefree. “Gonna take a shower. Wanna join?” The invitation was asked so casually Sasuke almost said yes. 

But he ignored the impulse, and wouldn’t think of it as more than just that. He decided it would be best to change the subject while Naruto stripped himself of the white shirt and boxers he’d slept in.

“Take me to Itachi,” Sasuke said in a commanding tone he was so used to. For a second he almost felt like himself.

Naruto didn’t mind it. He shrugged the shirt off his arms and threw it onto the floor. When he grabbed the band of his boxers and yanked them down, Sasuke looked away. He’d seen Naruto naked many times before, had even bathed with him on occasion. This, for reasons he would not analyze, felt very different. “Sure, maybe after work,” Naruto finally answered.

“Work?” Sasuke’s eyes narrowed and he turned them to Naruto. Then realized Naruto was standing there naked and quickly turned back to glare at the wall instead.

“Uh, yeah. _You_ might be able to turn in a doctor’s note, but I’ve still got a company to run.” The shower water was turned on after that and Naruto stepped inside. Sasuke turned to watch the curtain close. He wasn’t done talking yet.

For a while Sasuke just stood there, unsure of what to do now. But then Naruto called out to him from within the shower. 

“Why don’t you drive yourself? The doctor said you were fine.”

Sasuke had to think about this. Drive? One of those motorized metal contraptions? He’d hate to admit that he wouldn’t know how, and if he did he was sure this Naruto would think that was suspicious. Obviously the Sasuke from this world would understand how to operate that sort of machinery. Not to mention he didn’t know how to navigate this world. Everything was so cluttered. The Mist village was the closest thing to it that he’d seen in his world, and yet the two didn’t even compare. Surely the _him_ from this world would know the way to his own brother’s place. 

“I don’t want to go alone.” That was the best he could come up with. Naruto pulled back the shower curtain and stuck his head out to peer at Sasuke. His eyes were full of concern.

“What’s wrong? You two fighting or something?” The tone in his voice suggested that it wouldn’t be the first time. Sasuke didn’t know how to respond.

“No,” he started, and then took a second to think through his next set of words. “I just want you to come with me.”

That seemed like the right thing to say. Naruto grinned and tucked his head back in. He responded again after a moment. “Okay, I’ll take you when I get off.”

 

* * *

 

Naruto scratched the hairs on the back of his neck as he stared down at Sasuke’s sleeping face. They’d taken him to his office, and made up a bed for him to rest in. The thought had occurred to take him to the medic unit, but the possibility of this Sasuke waking up and harming one of the medics because he couldn't control his chakra was too great of a risk for them to take. 

Shikamaru appeared by his side and joined Naruto in staring at Sasuke’s listless body.

“Hokage-sama,” Shikamaru acknowledged his leader with a nod. “How long has he been like this?”

Naruto’s face scrunched, “My chakra is keeping him knocked out. His chakra is all over the place. It’s too dangerous.”

Shikamaru looked to his leader for a moment, then back at Sasuke. “You’re thinking about sealing his chakra?” He could sense the way Naruto stiffened beside him. He went on as if he’d gotten his answer, “Are you sure you want to leave one of the most notorious shinobi without power to defend himself?” 

Naruto had wondered the same thing and it was why that wasn’t the first solution he'd come up with. “We would have to protect him.”

“As we do every other villager. But this is Sasuke we’re talking about.”

Naruto sighed, looking defeated. He didn’t want to argue, but he didn’t want to hold his authority over Shikamaru’s head. He instead, went for a diplomatic approach. “What do you suggest?” Because he was willing to take all the bright ideas he could get at this point. 

Shikamaru shrugged, “We train him.” 

Naruto looked at Shikamaru for the first time since he’d arrive and the way his eyes widened and his lips tightened suggested his reluctance towards the idea, “And risk him killing himself?” 

“We start slow. He’s different, but like Ino said, he’s still Sasuke, right? He’s smart.” The confidence in Shikamaru’s voice was swaying, but Naruto was still unsure. He gulped and looked back down at Sasuke. He was different, so different from the Sasuke who hid his emotions behind a steal wall, the Sasuke who had been revenge-crazed and incredibly sad. This Sasuke was...

“He called me his _partner_.” Naruto hadn’t meant to say that aloud, but now that he had, he figured he’d listen to what Shikamaru had to say. The way Sasuke’s eyes looked at him that was so unlike how Sasuke had ever done before weighed heavily on his mind.

Sadly, he was met with silence. Maybe Shikamaru was also at a loss for words because he simply closed his eyes and sighed. 

Naruto looked over, scratching his cheek nervously. “What do you think that means?” he pushed and Shikamaru offered him another halfhearted shrug along with his lazy response.

“I thought it was pretty clear.”

Naruto laughed slow and humorlessly. After a moment, he spoke again, “Isn’t that weird?” he squirmed, feeling nervous, but at the same time, wanting to talk about it with someone. “I mean… I couldn’t even imagine…” he wasn’t even sure what he’d be imagining to begin with. He’d kissed Sasuke unintentionally and if he were being honest with himself, he’d only reacted so egregiously because Sasuke had. It wasn’t like he thought it was _that_ disgusting. It didn’t mean anything to him, not good or bad. But that didn’t mean he could see himself holding Sasuke the way he’d held Hinata.

“Does it matter?” Shikamaru said then, and it took Naruto out of his dangerous line of thinking. “He’s not from here. You’re not the Naruto he knows and he’s not the Sasuke we know. Once we figure out how to reverse this jutsu, you won’t have to think about it anymore.” The words were more than logical. Naruto had to scold himself for getting so wrapped up in his head about something that truthfully didn’t matter.

His face was flushed when he nodded in agreement. Shikamaru had enough respect for him not to point it out. Had they been kids again, he probably would've made fun of him for it. 

Naruto cleared his throat and straightened his back before he spoke again. “Alright. We’ll let him rest for now, but we’ll start training in the morning.”

 

* * *

 

Sasuke managed to avoid Naruto before he’d left for work. He was certain the idiot would try to kiss him again, and he needed to keep the touching between them to a minimum. Especially since this Naruto had some sort of effect on this body he was in.

But, now that he was alone, he was honestly unsure of what to do. He felt antsy. It had been too long since he didn’t immediately have somewhere to go. He’d found a blue toothbrush in the bathroom, and supposed it was his since Naruto had used an orange one. He brushed his teeth, showered and changed into comfortable clothes that seemed to fit him.

After that, he’d spent time in the living room pushing the furniture against the walls. He needed space, physical space, so that he could clear his mind.

When the center of the room was cleared, he sat in the middle with his legs crossed.

He felt contained, not just in this home, but in this useless body. He could feel it. Or rather, he couldn’t feel it was more of the problem. There was emptiness within him. The chakra that fueled him, allowed him to breathe, move, jump as high as he could and fight with all his strength, it was but a sliver of what he’d obtained in his true body. His power, his sharingan, his techniques, they were lost.

As he sat in the middle of the living room, staring down at his two hands, he resisted the urge to rip the hair from his scalp. This body felt absolutely repulsive, like a baby. Powerless.

 He squeezed his hand in a fist and glared down at it.

“Weak,” he said through his teeth. Then, after a long intake of air and a slow exhale, he lifted his hands to execute a flurry of hand signs. He paused on the sign of the monkey, then held his hand out and gripped it with his other. “Ugh,” he groaned at the way the little bit of energy inside him pulled at his nerves.

Sasuke could feel it. It was faint but…

He grit his teeth and heard himself cry out in pain. However, he refused to stop. Not yet. Just a little bit more.

A spark shot from his hand, small and insignificant. At the sight, Sasuke sighed in relief and relaxed the aching muscles he’d been flexing so vigorously. It was then that he felt the warm liquid drip from his nose onto his leg. He looked down at the speck of blood and instantly felt dizzy.

His head lulled back and he felt himself falling when everything went black.

 

* * *

 

The next morning Sakura met Naruto in the Hokage chambers per his request. She still wore the heavy burden of this circumstance on her sleeve, but had forced herself to be cordial with him. He wasn’t sure if it was because of their friendship or his title.

“You sure you want to do this?” She asked as they approached Sasuke’s sleeping body.

Naruto sighed and scratched the back of his head. “No,” he answered honestly. “But, Shikamaru’s right. If I seal his chakra then he’d become an easy target. We don’t know how long it will take to get our Sasuke back. Weeks, months, years…” He was musing to himself now, and had to shake his head to get his thoughts together. “It’s too dangerous for him.” 

“What if the power is too much for him? He could end up killing himself.” She was carefully avoiding saying his name. Naruto understood why. 

“Yeah, but that’s why you’re here,” he grinned at her, and she gave him a weary look. 

“What are you up to?” She sounded almost humored. Naruto definitely had a way of brightening the mood with his smile, even if she’d never admit it to him. His head was already big enough. 

“Sakura-chan,” Naruto said sweetly, “You’re the best at controlling chakra, maybe even better than me.” Naruto reasoned.

Sakura sighed and turned her head away, looking down at Sasuke’s body with sad eyes. “I don’t know, Naruto.” Her voice was soft, and it caused Naruto’s smile to slip form his face.

“Please Sakura-chan, we have to do something.”

“What about the shinobi who did this?” He could see the fire spark in her eyes.

Naruto’s smiled slipped away, and his face hardened as he spoke, “I sent a clone to work with Shikamaru and Ino to find out more clues. Sai is scouting out the area Sasuke was in when we found him. The last record the village has of the Purple Mist is from years ago and most of it seems useless. They were just bandits who had a grudge against the Yamanaka clan. There’s nothing that would suggest…” Naruto paused, taking in Sasuke’s features for the millionth time since this whole thing started. “Well, there was no way to tell that they were capable of this type of ninjutsu.” 

“So, no clues on how to reverse it, yet?” Sakura looked up at him, and Naruto pitied her hopeless expression. He wanted to hug her, let her know it would be okay, but knew that was a line he shouldn’t cross. So he swallowed and shook his head instead.

Sakura nodded and looked away.

Another moment passed. 

“Can you wake him up?” She asked and Naruto simply nodded before he held his hands out in a seal.

A swirl of chakra released from Naruto’s hands and pushed into Sasuke’s body. A second later Sasuke shot forward with his eyes wide. He was breathing hard and looking around the room in short, frantic motions. Naruto leaned forward and placed his hands firmly on Sasuke’s shaking shoulders.

“Sasuke, hey.” Naruto’s voice drew those dark eyes to him. He could see the way they quivered, and it only served to remind him that this wasn’t his Sasuke. _Their_ Sasuke.

“Naruto…” Sasuke said softly. Naruto wasn’t even aware Sasuke's voice could sound so pitiful.

“How do you feel?” Sakura spoke up in a voice that was like a trained medic-nin, and not at all like the young woman in love she often was around her husband. 

Sasuke glared up at her, “How do you think?”

Naruto sighed and shook his head, “Sasuke,” his voice was soft and scolding. Sasuke turned to him and his eyes wavered.

After a moment of looking into Naruto’s disapproving eyes, he bit his lip and sighed. “I feel awful,” he spoke honestly. “My body feels like a ton of bricks, I feel nauseous and my head is killing me. It’s like little bolts of electricity are shooting around my nerves and my muscles are being torn apart; like I’ve been hit by a car, or something. And… I am freaking the fuck out because you’re…” Sasuke gestured his hand at Naruto, “different. Your body, your everything. It’s… different.” He turned and gestured towards Sakura next, “I don’t know you, and you keep looking at me like I’m supposed to. And I’m pissed off because nobody will tell me what the fuck’s going on.” Sasuke huffed and let his arm fall to his side once again.

Naruto sat down on the bed next to Sasuke and looked at Sakura. “Please,” was all he said, and she understood the cue. Even if it grit at her nerves, she didn’t say it. She just turned on her heal and left them in the room alone. 

Naruto turned to face Sasuke again, and tried to smile reassuringly. Sasuke’s lips twitched upward, but nothing else. Naruto held his hand out and Sasuke hurriedly grabbed it, squeezing it as if his life depended on it. And for this Sasuke, maybe it did.

“Sasuke, there’s a lot we need to talk about.”

 

* * *

 

Naruto got home from work just after five in the afternoon. He was surprised to find it hard to push his door open open. Using his shoulder, he managed to shove it open and stuck his head inside to look around.

“Sasuke?” He called out. There was no response.

Upon further inspection he saw that the furniture had all been pushed around, some of it was against the door, while everything else lined the surrounding walls. Naruto’s eyebrows scrunched together as he finished pushing his way inside.

“Sasuke?” He tried again as he squeezed his body through the crack. He dropped his work bag onto the floor by the door and stepped out of his shoes as he walked further in.

When he turned into his living room his eyes widened at the sight of Sasuke laid out on the ground, eyes closed and a trail of dried blood running from his nose to his chin.

He scrambled forward and dropped to the floor next to his lover. Lifting him into his arms, he gave him a light shake, “Sasuke?!” He placed a hand on Sasuke’s forehead and felt how hot it was, then leaned down until his ear was pressed to Sasuke’s chest. The steady heartbeat gave him a bit of relief, but it didn’t completely wipe the worry from his eyes. He tried again, “Sasuke,” his voice wavered this time, yet somehow it reached, and Sasuke was slowly blinking his eyes open. Naruto let out a heavy breath and hugged him close.

“Idiot, I can’t breathe.” was the first words out of Sasuke’s mouth and Naruto laughed a little.

He pulled away, but didn’t completely let go, and Sasuke touched under his nose to inspect the blood there.

“What happened?” Naruto asked, and then looked around the cleared space in the living room. “And why’d you move everything?” 

“Training,” was all Sasuke said. Naruto didn't get it, and the way he furrowed his brow told Sasuke that he'd need to explain more. He pressed a hand to Naruto’s chest and Naruto finally let him go.

“Training? For what? And what about the nosebleed? Do you feel lightheaded? Should we take you back to the hospital? This isn’t—”

“Naruto.” Sasuke said, silencing Naruto’s rambling. Naruto clamped his mouth shut, but his eyes were full of so much worry and Sasuke had to force himself not to sneer at him. “I’m fine.”

“But—”

“No more hospitals,” Sasuke said firmly. Naruto looked hesitant, but nodded anyway. Sasuke sighed then ran his hand through his hair. “Okay. Let’s go.”

Naruto blinked, “Wait what?”

Sasuke rolled his eyes, “To Itachi. Take me to him.” He was getting agitated. Could it be possible that this Naruto was more of an idiot than the one he’d grown up with?

“But uh… don’t you want to… maybe?” Naruto rubbed a finger under his nose and Sasuke remembered the blood on his face.

Oh right. He supposed it wasn’t common for people to casually walk around with blood on their faces.

“Right.” Sasuke said slowly, then pointed at Naruto with a serious expression, “But afterwards, we’re going.”

Naruto grinned, “Promise.”

 

* * *

 

Naruto’s car was much different that the one that’d been in on the way back from the hospital. It was nice, leather inside and smelled a lot like Naruto, which Sasuke did his best not to think about.

He watched the way Naruto operated the vehicle, carefully observing each action and memorizing them for future references. 

The drive wasn’t very long, and Naruto insisted on holding hands the whole time. Sasuke had only moved his hand away twice before Naruto grabbed it and locked it in place. Sasuke glared at their hands after that, but he didn’t pull away. 

Fifteen minutes later they were pulling into the driveway of a large home that looked so different than the ones in Konoha that Sasuke couldn’t help the way he’d stared at it. Naruto stopped the vehicle and turned to Sasuke. “Okay, anything I need to know? Like, seriously, because if you two are fighting you should just tell me now.”

Sasuke tore his eyes away from the home to look at Naruto. This was the second time Naruto had mentioned it, so Sasuke felt compelled to ask, “Do we... often fight?”

“What?” Naruto’s eyebrows scrunched together, and Sasuke realized the question would seem a bit odd, so he rephrased it.

“Do you think we fight often? My brother and I?”

Naruto shrugged, “No, it’s just when you do it’s pretty scary.” By the way his brow creased, Sasuke could tell that wasn’t all there was to it.

“My brother and I don’t get along very well?” Sasuke encouraged and Naruto shrugged again. He suspected this wasn’t a conversation they’d had very often.

After a moment Naruto let out a sigh, “You’re the one who told me to butt out of it, Sasuke.” Those words surprised him a bit, but he allowed Naruto to continue uninterrupted. “I mean, I’ll go in there with you, but I really hope it’s not like last time.” 

“Last time?” Sasuke questioned and Naruto glared at him.

“You don’t remember? You got so angry, you threw that encyclopedia at him and it hit me instead?” Naruto made a pained expression and Sasuke felt his lips curve downward at the memory. And then he froze.

The memory. He could see it.He _remembered_ it. Why could did he remember something he'd never experience? “We were arguing about my father? A will?” His voice was distant, and the question was asked more so to himself, but Naruto responded with enthusiasm.

“Yeah! And it was a whole big thing. So, if you’re going in there to scream at him again, just let me know now so I can know to duck.”

Sasuke’s eyes widened. He didn’t really listen to what Naruto was saying. He was fixated on this memory. He could feel his anger from that time. His voice and Itachi’s, it was all so vivid. The way they yelled at each other in a home he knew he’d never been in. 

After a moment to quell his silent panicking, Sasuke turned to Naruto, “Come on.” He fumbled with the car door for a second longer than what was probably normal, but managed to get it open without any help. He stepped out marched up to the door. He could hear Naruto following behind him, but didn’t wait before he banged on the door.

A few seconds went by. Naruto stood beside him now. He raised his fist to knock again when the door was slowly opened. The sight of his brother made Sasuke’s throat close and his heart beat a bit faster. Itachi stood there with his arms crossed over his chest, dressed in a black pants and white collared shirt. Sasuke supposed most men in this world dressed this way.

Itachi quirked a single eyebrow, “Naruto? Little brother?” He turned his head to address them separately. “You didn’t call?”

“Itachi?” He didn’t even recognize his own voice. Itachi gave him a perplexed look, and something akin to worry crossed his typically stoic face. Even in this world his emotions were hard to read.

“Is something… wrong?” It sounded like the question was forced, but by the way he looked to Naruto with his eyes narrowed and dangerous said that the feeling behind it wasn’t. “Did you do something?” He asked and the muscles in his crossed arms flexed.

“What? No!” Naruto said and turned to Sasuke. “We’re just here to visit, right?”

Sasuke looked at Naruto, then to Itachi, who was starting to relax. He cleared his throat before he spoke this time, “Yeah, I need to talk to you.” He tried to calm his heart, but it was more overwhelming to see his brother, standing and very much alive, than he'd thought it would be. At the very least, he'd managed to mask the anxiety he felt to appear as unaffected as possible. 

Itachi looked curious now, but stepped aside to allow them in.

Sasuke walked in first, and immediately looked around the home that eerily felt familiar. His eyes landed on a family portrait, large and hanging on the wall in the hallway. He slipped off his shoes, and walked up until he was close enough to get a good look at it.

He wanted to reach out and touch it; the smiling face of his mother or the stern face of his father. It was amazing. They looked older than what he’d remembered. In the photo, Sasuke stood by his mother, maybe fourteen or fifteen years of age and Itachi stood by his father.

“What did you want to talk about?” Itachi’s voice cut into his thoughts, and Sasuke turned from the hanging photo to face him. 

“Do you have a place we can speak privately?” Sasuke said while his eyes drifted to where Naruto stood by the door looking like he didn’t know what else to do.

Itachi’s eyes narrowed, and the confusion was still there, but he simply nodded.

 

* * *

 

Sasuke listened to Naruto’s whole story in silence. At times he’d nod, or make a face that suggested his distaste for certain bits or sadness for others. But overall, he hadn’t spoken once. Not when Naruto had told him about how his brother had killed his entire family, or the reasons why, and not when he’d told him about Team Seven and Sasuke’s relationships with all of them.

But when Naruto finished, Sasuke let out a heavy breath and covered his face with his hand.

Silence passed, and Naruto wondered what he should do. He awkwardly reached a hand out, and debated on whether he should place it on Sasuke’s shoulder or on his knee. 

When Sasuke looked up again and Naruto retracted his hand. “You’re serious?” Was all Sasuke said, though didn’t look like he was in total disbelief. 

Naruto nodded, “Yeah.” 

Sasuke looked away for a moment, “This isn’t my body?” He questioned and Naruto shook his head. “I have a daughter… with that woman?” He pointed out the door that Sakura had left through and Naruto nodded. “We’re not?” Sasuke motioned between the two of them and Naruto gulped, then shook his head again. “Shit…” Sasuke breathed out. “And my family… they’re all dead?” He sounded like he wanted to cry then, Naruto wouldn’t let him.

He placed both his hands on Sasuke’s shoulders and forced his dark eyes to look into his unwavering blue ones. “Hey, I know this is a lot, but you can’t let yourself get overwhelmed. Okay?” Naruto gave him a little shake. “We’re gonna get you back to where you come from, but in the meantime you’ve got to be strong. We’re gonna need you to be strong.” Naruto placed a hand on Sasuke’s cheek. He wasn’t sure why he was compelled to do it, but he was, and he could see the way Sasuke relaxed from the gesture. 

Sasuke placed his hand over Naruto’s and his lips spread into a weak smile. Naruto had never seen such an expression on his friend, and it did this weird thing to his heart.

Sasuke closed his eyes and willed himself to relax. Naruto was about to pull his hand away when Sasuke spoke and stopped him before he’d gotten the chance. “You’re just like him.” 

“Who?” Naruto asked without thinking.

“My Naruto.”

Naruto’s cheeks lit up. Sasuke’s voice sounded so sweet, so loving. It made him squirm, and now he really wanted to pull his hand away. But Sasuke had closed his fingers around it and was pulling it around to his lips. And when those pale lips pressed to his tanned fingers, Naruto felt a bit dizzy from all the heat that rushed to his face.

“Am I interrupting something, Lord Seventh?” The lazy drawl of Kakashi’s voice pulled them from this… odd moment. Naruto turned to his old teacher, and quickly pulled his hand out of Sasuke’s grasp.

“Sensei,” Naruto said as he stood to acknowledge the older man.

Sasuke turned from Naruto to observe the odd looking man with silver hair, a mask over his mouth and a very prominent scar over one eye. Sasuke let out a sigh and gestured towards the man, “Who’s this, again?” He almost sounded bored. Or more like, he’d already heard his share of crazy, and at this point wasn’t surprised by the way this man appeared in front of them in a cloud of smoke. 

Naruto turned to him, still red faced, and cleared his throat, "Kakashi-sensei, our teacher from when we were in Team Seven together.”

“Right,” Sasuke rolled his eyes. He suddenly wanted to go back to sleep. Maybe if he focused hard enough, he’d wake up in his world again. Maybe.

Kakashi stepped forward and leaned over until his face was level with Sasuke’s and a bit too close. Sasuke didn’t move away, but instead narrowed his eyes at him.

“So this isn’t Sasuke, huh?” Kakashi said, sounding uninterested as he tilted his head around to take in all of Sasuke’s angles.

“I am Sasuke,” Sasuke answered.

Kakashi appeared to be smiling under his mask, but Sasuke couldn’t fully tell. “Yes, but you’re not _really_ Sasuke.” 

Sasuke didn’t like the way those words felt, but he didn’t respond to them. Naruto spoke up instead, “Sensei, there’s a lot we need to teach him.” Kakashi straightened and looked over at Naruto.

“Where’s the rest of the team?” 

“I’m here,” Sakura answered, appearing beside Kakashi then. Her eyes met Sasuke’s, and for the first time, she saw a bit of guilt there instead of the anger and repulsion he’d felt towards her presence before.

Naruto saw a bit of the tension in her shoulders dissipate, and it reminded him of the way Sasuke’s lips had touched his hand.

“Wonderful.” Kakashi said, taking Naruto from his drifting thoughts. “Just like the old days, hmm?” He mused in a tone full of humor. “Shall we?” 

Naruto stepped over to the bed and placed a hand on Sasuke’s shoulder. He nodded, and they all disappeared from the room.

 

* * *

  

Sasuke had managed to talk Naruto into sitting out in the living room, while he and Itachi talked in the office upstairs. There was a sofa there, so Sasuke sat down while Itachi leaned against his desk.

He did his best to explain the world he was from to Itachi, hoping he didn’t get the same response he’d gotten from Naruto. And to his surprise, Itachi didn’t laugh. Instead, he moved to sit beside Sasuke on the couch and leaned in to absorb more of this tale.

Sasuke concluded, “I don’t know what type of jutsu they used on me, but it landed me here, in this world. You, Naruto, Sakura… you’re all different. Everything is different.” Sasuke let out a heavy sigh of relief, having been anxious to get that off of his chest since he’d been taken to this world only two days ago.

Itachi nodded, then took a moment to let everything sink in. After that moment passed, he looked into Sasuke’s eyes, “So you were born in a world where we’re all… ninjas?” The way he’d said it made the whole thing seem a little ridiculous, but Sasuke nodded. “You realize that sounds incredibly farfetched?”

Sasuke shrugged, “Possibly to you. But in my eyes, this world I’m in is way more outlandish than the one I know."

Itachi nodded again.

Sasuke waited in that tense silence for a while, fidgeting under Itachi’s calculating eyes. When he couldn’t take the staring anymore, he asked, “Do you believe me?” 

Itachi sucked in a breath and looked away. He didn’t answer right away, and again Sasuke thought he would reach out and wring his neck for making him feel this anxious. But then he started speaking, “When I opened the door, I thought something was different.” 

Sasuke’s eyes widened. He wanted to say something to that, but Itachi wasn’t finished.

“At first I thought something had happened to you. We haven’t been close for a long time Sasuke,” he admitted, and rubbed his eyebrow with his forefinger and thumb as he continued, “And you never visit me without some sort of issue or just to start up a yelling match.” Itachi shrugged, letting his hand fall into his lap. “But, when I opened the door, you looked at me like… I don’t know. Like, you wanted to hug me. Like you missed me.”

Sasuke bit his lip painfully hard, because he was suddenly feeling so overwhelmed with emotion and he wasn’t used to it.

He needed to focus. This wasn't his Itachi. His Itachi was dead. He couldn't forget that.

“I need your help.” Sasuke said, and Itachi looked at him again.

“How can I help you? If what you’re saying is true, this is some type of magic that doesn’t exist here.”

Sasuke’s eyes didn’t waver, “I was able to use it. It was only a little bit, but it was there.” 

Itachi’s eyes narrowed suspiciously, “What was?” 

“My ninjutsu. My Chidori.”

“Chi-what?” Itachi said and Sasuke almost rolled his eyes. This man was so not the brother he’d known in his world. He was definitely intelligent, obviously intimidating, but undoubtedly… different. 

“My jutsu, you called it magic.” Sasuke clarified and Itachi looked like he was getting it.

“So what does that mean?” Itachi said and Sasuke smirked. 

“It means, this world isn’t all that different from mine. I need to find clues, possible pathways.”

“To find your alternate reality?”

“Yes,” Sasuke nodded. He stood up and made a fist. There was a determination and spark in his eyes. “And if I train hard enough, maybe I can gather enough energy to pull myself back into my own body.” 

“What about Naruto?” 

Sasuke faltered, then looked down at where Itachi was still sitting. “What about him?”

Itachi stood then, “Don’t you think he should know that you’re not the same Sasuke he's in love with?” The words felt odd coming out of Itachi’s mouth and Sasuke could see the way he struggled with them. 

Sasuke rolled his eyes, “I already tried to tell that idiot. He didn’t believe me.”

Itachi smiled, “Well, I’m not surprised. But you never mentioned being together with him in your world.” 

Sasuke felt his cheeks heat up, and he cleared his throat because it suddenly closed up on him. “We’re not.” He said firmly. 

“So… what are you going to do?” Itachi asked and Sasuke glared at him.

“I don’t know yet.” 

“You said you had a wife and child. So, you’re not gay, are you?”

Sasuke huffed; Itachi was obviously amused by all this. “You’re far more annoying than the Itachi I knew.” He pointed out instead of answering.

Itachi shrugged, “I’m only curious.”

“Well, it doesn’t matter. I’m not going to be here for long, anyway.” Sasuke snapped, and Itachi’s face turned serious. 

“How do you know?”

“What?” Sasuke deflated a bit.

“How do you know that you won’t be here for long? What if what they did to you is irreversible?” His eyes were narrowed now.

“There’s a possibility to reverse any jutsu.” Sasuke didn’t sound to sure of himself there, and Itachi noticed. 

“I hope you’re right.” He’d said, and all traces of humor were gone. Sasuke realized that, as well as this Itachi appeared to be taking things, he’d still had to digest knowing that the Sasuke _he’d_ known was possibly gone forever. And by the way Itachi looked now, sad, scared and a bit angry, suggested that he wanted Sasuke to figure out how to get home as much as he did.

 

* * *

 

“Fuck!” Sasuke stomped his foot at the mangle version himself that lay lifeless on the abandoned training ground. Kakashi, Sakura and Naruto stood behind him, all looking at the thing with a mix of disgusted faces. Kakashi partially hid his behind a book, while Naruto stepped around Sasuke to inspect the thing.

It had already been ten hours since they started. Sakura had given Sasuke a crash course on how to regulate his chakra in the first few. By the fourth hour, Sasuke had gotten to the point where he wasn’t releasing dangerous amounts just by moving. Shikamaru was right; this Sasuke was intelligent and learned quickly. So Naruto had suggested they start off by teaching Sasuke one of the more basic techniques: Kage Bunshin no Jutsu. It had grown dark. Sasuke was breathing hard, obviously exhausted but determined as ever. The way he refused to quit reminded them of their Sasuke, and it allowed them to see that the two weren't as different as they'd initially thought.

However, it was six hours later and nearly two hundred attempts in and the closest thing to a clone Sasuke could produce was... well.

it was so unlike anything they’d seen.

“It’s like someone chewed Sasuke up and spit him out.” Kakashi commented and Sasuke shot a glare at him over his shoulder.

“Hey, it’s okay. It took us all some time to learn it at first.” Naruto tried to reason, standing straight and placing a comforting hand on Sasuke’s shoulder. Sasuke looked at him and smiled. Naruto’s heart skipped a beat. He wasn’t going to bother to think about why. 

“That was only you, Naruto,” Sakura said, and Kakashi nodded in agreement. 

The chewed up Sasuke disappeared in a puff of smoke, and Sasuke sighed. 

“What am I doing wrong?” He asked, and Naruto wanted to mention that the Sasuke he knew never admitted to being wrong, but he didn’t. He also realized that his hand had been on Sasuke’s shoulder for too long, so he pulled it away and let it fall to his side.

“You’re letting out too much chakra. You’re not focusing hard enough,” Kakashi answered, sounding bored while his eyes trailed over the words in his book. 

Sasuke crossed his arms over his chest and glared at the older man. “Are you reading porn?” He asked blatantly, and everyone paused. Sasuke looked around. “What? Isn’t he?” 

Naruto chuckled, unable to hide his amusement, while Sakura blushed and Kakashi cleared his throat to try to appear unaffected by the words.

“Don’t focus on that,” Naruto said, nodding his head over to the empty field. “Let’s try again.” 

Sasuke huffed, but didn’t argue. He held his hand in the seal they’d taught him and tried again, “Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!” He called out and poof! A puff of smoke appeared. Sasuke placed his hands on his hips and waited for the smoke to clear. “Jesus…” he said in a low breath. It was so much worse. This one moved. It looked like his legs were twisted and were coming directly out of his back, and his arms were that of a baby’s. And it was making this gurgling nose…

“Ugh,” Naruto couldn’t help but grimace at this one.

It disappeared and they all let out a breath of relief. That image wouldn’t go away any time soon for any of them.

“Maybe we should call it a day.” Naruto suggested, seeing how Sasuke looked dejected and wanting to cheer him up. “How about we get something to eat?”

 

* * *

 

They’d decided to eat at Naruto’s house, sans Kakashi who'd mumbled something about hot springs and being retired. Naruto had taken a moment to explain the situation to Hinata, Boruto and Himawari. They’d all stared at Sasuke the whole time Naruto was trying to explain. Sakura and Sarada were there too. Sarada sat beside Sasuke and looked up at him. It was clear that she wanted to reach out and touch him, maybe make sure he was real. But she was obviously afraid to do so. 

While Naruto spoke, Sasuke looked down at the girl he was told was his daughter. “Hey.” He said, awkward and void of any confidence. 

“Hello papa,” she said back and Sasuke thought he’d heard that voice before, those same words before.  _Papa._ It was a strange bit of nostalgia. 

He squinted and leaned forward. Sarada leaned back, her eyes narrowing the same as his. “We look a lot alike.” Sasuke commented offhandedly and it made Sarada blush.

“So that’s it.” Naruto concluded, and both Sasuke and Sarada looked towards the Uzumaki family. They all took in Sasuke’s appearance, the way his expression was much more unguarded than what they all knew it to be. Boruto was looking especially suspicious. 

Sasuke's eyes landed on Naruto's wife. Hinata was beautiful, definitely Naruto’s type, if Sasuke could recall the women his Naruto had dated before they’d gotten together. He wasn’t surprised that this Naruto would be with someone like this; big breasted and kind hearted. He tried not to look at her with the same amount of contempt he couldn’t help but feel for her. It made it even worse that she was smiling at him as if she would to any good friend of her husband’s.

They’d left the living room and Hinata made space for everyone to sit at the table. Sasuke wanted to sit next to Naruto out of habit, but had to remember what Naruto had told him. He sat next to his _family_ instead. Sakura looked at him, and Sasuke looked back. He’d felt bad for how he’d treated this woman. She was beautiful too, and while he didn’t hold any sexual attraction to her, he no longer felt like he could treat her the way he had when he’d woken up.

“Are you alright?” She asked, her tone careful, as if she was afraid that Sasuke would snap again.

He sighed, easing his guilt down so that he could answer clearly, “I’m tired and hungry, and I’m still not used to this,” he held up his single hand "I'm left handed so," he shrugged and Sakura smiled kindly. 

“I know.” She said, sounding sweet and reassuring. “It’ll take some time, but you’re strong.”

Sasuke shook his head, “You’re thinking about _him_ ,” he pointed out, and she shook her head. 

“No, I’m not. You’re strong too… Sasuke-kun,” she managed to say. “Maybe not in the same sense as my Sasuke. But, in your own way.” She nodded as if there was no doubting it. Sasuke took a moment to let that sink in, and then spread his lips in a toothy grin that took Sakura’s breath away. 

“Thank you,” he said and Sakura blushed.

Naruto watched the interaction from the other end of the table. It, for some reason, bothered him. He should’ve felt happy that they were getting along, the same way he’d felt happy when Sakura had originally told him about their marriage and the birth of their child. He had been unmistakably proud of her and his friend. He was happy that they’d gotten together as he had with Hinata. But, this was different. This wasn’t that Sasuke who’d fought with them in countless battles, the one he chased after, the one he’d die for. This was… 

“Are you okay dad?” Boruto asked and Naruto tore his eyes away from the couple to look at his son. 

“I’m fine,” he smiled and Boruto looked skeptical, but didn’t press the issue.

Hinata sat the food out and they all dug in after that.

Sasuke was starved, and ate like he hadn’t eaten in weeks. The way his stomach turned at the smell of the delicious food suggested that it might be true. So he scarfed down the food, and wasn’t bothered by the strange looks he received around the table. 

Once they were done with their meal, Hinata left the table to help Himawari and Boruto into bed. Watching Naruto hug and kiss his daughter’s forehead and pat his son's head was both heartbreaking and beautiful. He’d torn his eyes away when Naruto stood straight and looked his way. 

Sasuke looked to Sakura then, “Um, do I live with you?” He asked and she shrugged, an odd answer to his question if they were supposedly married. 

“You do, but you’re rarely home.”

“Never home,” Sarada answered matter-of-factly.

Sasuke looked down at the young girl, and then at Sakura, “Where do I usually sleep?”

“I’m not too sure.” 

Sasuke recalled waking up in that dark cabin alone, and wondered if that was his home, or if he usually slept in similar places. 

“You should get some rest for tomorrow.” Naruto spoke up and all eyes turned to him. “You’ll need to keep your energy up if we’re going to make any progress with our training.”

“Okay,” Sasuke said sounding sleepy, and a little cute. _Not_ cute, but something else. Definitely not cute.

Naruto smiled and was about to say something when Ino appeared in the middle of their living room.

“Hokage-sama,” she said as she stepped forward, a pale man appeared by her side. He was handsome. Sasuke couldn’t help but notice.

Naruto’s eyes turned to his blond kunoichi, hardened because he knew she had news if her and Sai were appearing in his home in the middle of the night.

“You found something?” He asked and she nodded. 

Sai held out a scroll and Naruto accepted it as he explained, “This scroll was abandoned in the area where you found Uchiha-san.”

Naruto accepted it and rolled it open.

“Guys, I’m really tired.” Sasuke said, and nobody seemed to hear him.

Naruto’s eyes narrowed at it. Sakura stepped around to look over his shoulder. “It’s empty,” Naruto concluded and Sai shook his head. 

“It appears that way, but it's actually more interesting than that.” Ino said this time. Naruto looked to her, the kneeled down and spread the scroll out.

Sai stepped forward and held a seal down at the scroll. 

“Guys.” Sasuke said again.

Chakra pulled from Sai’s hand and black markings appeared on the scroll. It was impossible to decipher. Naruto bit his thumb as he stared at the cluster of nonsense.

“Papa. Are you okay?” Sarada said, looking up at Sasuke’s swaying body.

“So tired…” he said, and then collapsed to the floor.

Naruto looked up and quickly stepped over the scroll to inspect his friend. Sakura went over and kneeled beside him, placing a chakra-laced hand over Sasuke’s heart.

“He’s fine,” she said, “He's used up most of his chakra.”

“Can you take him back?” Naruto looked up at her and she nodded.

“Sarada,” she said and her daughter stood beside her. The three disappeared and Naruto willed his worry away, before he walked back over to Ino and Sai. 

“What do you think this all means? I can’t read it.” 

“Neither can we.” Sai said, tracing his fingers over the markings that were starting to fade away. “But it would take a powerful shinobi to execute this type of high level technique.” 

Naruto nodded. He rolled up the scroll and turned it in his hand. He was about to hand it back, but thought for a moment that there was something odd about the scroll. It felt strange, as if it was coated with something.

“Hinata,” he called out, soft enough that it wouldn’t wake his children, but loud enough to bring his wife out. She smiled kindly at Ino and Sai, but then focused her eyes on Naruto.

“Yes?” she stood in front of him, and he held the scroll out to her. 

“Look at this for me, please.” 

She nodded, understanding what he’d meant, and released her Byakugan.

After a moment, “There’s something on the scroll,” she said, eyes scanning and brow furrowed. “It’s some sort of substance.” She swiped her fingers on it. “It’s like a... purple powder.” 

The three looked at each other, then at Hinata who was inspecting whatever had gotten on her fingers. “Can you tell what it is?” Ino asked after a moment. 

“I…” she started, and her eyes turned normal again. “I’ve never seen anything like this before.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading, and putting up for my shitty update speed! I'm really happy that you all seem to be enjoying the story so far, so I'll do my best to try harder. Everyone's responses have been awesome and I'm excited to see how you guys will react moving forward. 
> 
> Hopefully the next chapter will be out much sooner. Let's all cross are fingers X 
> 
> Until then~


	3. The Promise

_There was red everywhere. Familiar dead bodies were scattered in the streets of an unfamiliar town. He walked the pathway to a home he’d never lived in. His home. His family._  
  
There was blood; too much blood. He could smell the iron, taste it; feel the thick liquid on his small hands and bare feet.  
  
Where was he?  
  
He reached the end of the path and his eyes were wide with horror. His parents, slashed to the bone, bleeding and void of life. They clung to each other, and hovering over them was the young face of his brother.  
  
The anger, the rage, the resentment, everything felt so intense. It was as if it were consuming him.  
  
He heard a voice screaming in agony.

 

* * *

 

“Sasuke-kun! Sasuke-kun!” The shrill voice of a woman he’d come to know as Sakura allowed him to snap his eyes open.  
  
A strong hand gripped at his shoulder and shook him back into reality. Sasuke realized that the voice he’d heard screaming was his by the way his throat felt raw from exertion. Sakura was hovering over him from where he’d sat up on the couch. He was sweating and breathing hard when his sharingan eyes turned on her.  
  
“Sasuke-kun,” she said, softer this time, and his muscles were finally starting to relax.  
  
“A dream,” he said after a moment. “It was a dream. My brother...” he thought back on the brother he knew in his world, the one who was much older than the boy in his dream. He remembered a brother who got on his nerves, but would never kill anyone in cold blood. And yet the image he’d seen in his dream, that young image of his brother covered in the blood of his parents, it was so real.  
  
“What was it? Did you see something?”  
  
Sasuke placed a hand on his forehead, gripping it when he felt the sharp pain of an oncoming headache.  
  
“Sasuke-kun, you’re letting out too much chakra. You have to relax,” and his sharingan was only making matters worse.  
  
Sasuke nodded weakly, trying to calm his rapid beating heart. He managed to slow his breathing, and focused on it to get his blood to stop boiling. Sakura’s hand rubbing up and down on his shoulder helped.  
  
After a moment, his eyes faded to black and the tension in his shoulders eased from being completely frigid to only mildly pinched.   
  
“That’s better,” Sakura whispered. He closed his eyes and continued to take deep breaths until the beating in his chest felt normal again.  
  
When he opened his eyes, he tried to explain once more, “It was a dream, but it felt so real.”  
  
“You dreamt about your brother?” She asked, pulling from Sasuke’s initial rambling.  
  
He looked up at her and shrugged a shoulder, “Maybe.” He ran his hand through his hair and grimaced because it was damped with his sweat. He idly rubbed the moisture off onto the blanket around his legs as he continued, “It was definitely _not_ my brother. But it was… I don’t know. He was standing over my parents in some house that wasn’t mine, but it was… you know? And he had killed them. I thought he was going to kill me next. But… shit. I feel sick.” Sasuke bent forward and clamped a hand over his mouth.

Sakura immediately moved her soothing hand to his back, rubbing small circles there. She did her best to appear unaffected by his words, but they were undoubtedly worrisome. Naruto may have told this Sasuke about what happened to the Sasuke’s family in this world, but there was no way he’d went into that amount of detail, and for this Sasuke to dream about it so vividly….

That was no dream.

 

* * *

 

Sasuke’s eyes opened wide, ripping his self from an oddly pleasant dream to the warm feeling of a hand stroking up and down his junk.

He immediately reached down to grab at the offender’s wrist, stilling its movements, and snapped his head to the side to glare at Naruto’s stupid face.

Sasuke spoke through clenched teeth, his temple pulsing with each word, “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”

Naruto was still grinning, looking sleep tussled and more relaxed than Sasuke wanted him to be. 

He grappled with Naruto’s hand for a moment, and managed to pull it from his boxers. He’d ignore his own erection and blame it on human anatomy, subconscious reactions and other bullshit that had nothing to do with _actually_ being aroused by Naruto fondling him in his sleep. 

“What?” Naruto said; his lips closing in a humored pout while his eyebrows lifted to showcase a false innocence. Sasuke sneered at him, and wondered how many fingers he’d break if he squeezed Naruto’s hand hard enough. 

“I’m not doing that with you,” Sasuke hissed, though he was telling himself that just as much as he was telling Naruto. There was just a line he wouldn’t cross. And Naruto’s thumb rubbing over the head of his dick was well past that line _and then some_. 

He hated himself a little when his arousal twitched at the little memory.

“Doing what?” Naruto asked seriously, cocking his head to the side as best as he could from his position facing Sasuke on the large bed.

“You know what.” Sasuke didn’t think he had it in him to say it.

“I don’t.” Naruto answered honestly.

Sasuke was still gripping his hand, and he’d only just then realized it. So he released it and sat up with a frustrated huff. “Just don’t do that again,” he was seething. And now that he was more awake the way his body was practically screaming for Naruto was nauseating to say the least. God, he wanted that hand to touch him again. Not in a million years did he think he’d ever want his blond idiot, teammate, _friend,_ getting him off first thing in the morning. And here he was desperately trying not to think about the potential of having Naruto suck him into his mouth, or probe his fingers inside of him, or the way he’d grip on his hips painfully tight and drive into him. 

Sasuke’s eyes shot open, much wider than before. Painfully wide. 

He ripped the covers off his legs and scrambled out of the bed. 

He glared, knowing and hating that his face was flushed an obnoxious bright red. Had he not been wearing any clothes, Naruto would see how far that red traveled and Jesus fucking Christ, he needed to stop associating Naruto with being naked.

Sasuke held his hands out; as if he were afraid that Naruto would jump up and pull him back in. Naruto propped himself up on his elbow, eyebrow raised curiously now as he carefully spoke, “Uh… you okay Sasuke?” It only made matters worse that Naruto was only wearing boxers, and the way the covers fell to his hips was more distracting than Sasuke would care to admit. 

“No!” Sasuke said in a voice high enough to almost be a shriek. “I’m not okay. This!” He motioned between him and Naruto. “Is not okay!”

Naruto rolled his eyes, flopping exaggeratedly into the bed and letting out an aggressively loud sigh, “God, Sasuke, what has gotten into you?”

Sasuke blinked, startled for a moment by how suddenly frustrated Naruto sounded. He reminded him a bit of the Naruto from home. 

“Ever since I picked you up from the hospital you’ve been different.” Naruto started, staring up at the ceiling as if it were someone to vent to. “You don’t want me to kiss you, or touch you and yet you apparently don’t want to break up with me. I touch you a little and you’re obviously horny.” Naruto pointed out and Sasuke looked away, clicking his tongue at the statement they both knew was true. “But then you freak out like this, and it’s confusing as hell. Just tell me,” Naruto finally turned his head to look at him again and Sasuke looked back, “Are you seeing someone else?” 

Sasuke’s mouth opened, then shut, and then opened again.

Naruto’s eyes wavered, and he suddenly looked devastated. “Oh God, you’re seeing someone else.” Naruto groaned, turned away and closed his eyes. Sasuke’s shoulders sagged and he stepped forward without really meaning to. It was just… the way Naruto looked like his heart was seconds away from shattering was impossible to bear. And even if he would need to evaluate the reasoning behind the overwhelming need to comfort Naruto, for just this second he pushed his reservations to the side and climbed back onto the bed.

“I’m not seeing someone else, moron.” Although, if Naruto had believed his story from the beginning, the idiot would know that it wasn’t too far from the truth. 

“You’re not?” Naruto looked up at Sasuke, and reached up to touch his face. Sasuke wanted to flinch away, but he didn’t. He let Naruto’s fingers comb into his hair and curl around his ear. Tanned fingers stayed there, lightly tugging on his ear lobe and Naruto spoke again, “Really?” His voice was softer, a bit huskier too, but Sasuke wouldn’t focus on that.

“Yes,” Sasuke rolled his eyes, but his voice had subconsciously gone soft as well. There was something pulling between them, and Naruto encouraged it with the gentle tugging on his ear. 

“But you freaked out again, like you didn’t want me.” Naruto reasoned, he sounded a bit lost now and his eyes were unmistakably zoned in on Sasuke’s parted lips. Naruto’s tongue slid over his bottom lip and Sasuke’s eyes were pulled towards the movement. Out of reflex, he was sure. 

Sasuke swallowed the lump forming in his throat and looked back up into Naruto’s eyes. Were they always this blue? He couldn’t remember. 

“It’s not that I don’t want to.” Sasuke hadn’t meant to say that. He didn’t even recognize his voice as the words came out. And how had their faces gotten so close? He didn’t remember leaning forward, or when Naruto craned his head up. It was only a little startling that their lips brushed together. It wasn’t like the kiss he’d received from this Naruto a couple days ago. It was more… sensual?

Sasuke’s eyes fluttered closed.

Naruto easily worked his lips opened and sucked Sasuke’s tongue into his mouth. The hand he had on Sasuke’s ear slid around his pale neck and into the tuffs of dark hair. He turned his head and pulled Sasuke’s face closer with the hand in his hair, melding their lips perfectly.

It wasn’t until Sasuke felt Naruto’s teeth graze his bottom lip that he shuddered and let out a noise that was dangerously throaty and embarrassingly desperate. He wanted to pull away then, face red and feeling completely mortified, but Naruto didn’t let him. He wasn’t sure if the moron sensed his pending retreat, but just then Naruto managed to snake an arm around Sasuke’s waist.

He’d broken their kiss and flipped their positions so that he was hovering over Sasuke with a wide grin. He was situated between Sasuke’s legs, spread and bent at the knees. Their bodies weren’t fully touching yet. Naruto was only looking at him, taking this moment to devour his disheveled appearance and looking like he was seconds away from consuming him. The word sexy, was one Sasuke would die before using to describe Naruto, of all people, but dammit…

Sasuke was breathing hard and trying not to get sucked in by Naruto’s stupid eyes, but it was much harder to do in _this body_ as it was back home. He’d never thought they were mesmerizing in his world.

Naruto dipped his head and kissed Sasuke again, a long and slow pressure between their lips that made Sasuke’s knees buckle. And then Naruto pulled away and trailed kisses down his neck. He pushed his hips against Sasuke’s, and the thin boxers he wore did nothing to mask how hard he was. Sasuke bit his lip when Naruto rolled his hips and their erections slid together in an incredible show of friction. Naruto grabbed Sasuke’s hips to position him just right for when he’d thrust against him again. Sasuke threw his head back, rolled his eyes, and choked out a moan.

He couldn’t quite wrap his head around this much pleasure. Naruto obviously knew exactly what to do to get a reaction out of this body. Sasuke couldn’t remember being this aroused in his world. Even when Sakura had gotten on her knees for the first time and took him in her mouth. He hadn’t felt so completely taken away by the pleasure.

But then there was a ringing noise that tore him out of this daze.

“Shit,” Naruto said as he’d pulled away from Sasuke and eased up a bit. He ran a hand through his hair and grinned at Sasuke. 

Sasuke’s dark eyes were hazy, and he had to force his brain to orient itself as Naruto reached over Sasuke to grab the incessant device. The interruption gave Sasuke a moment to collect himself. He squirmed and Naruto eyed him for a moment before he focused on the device in his hand.

Sasuke didn’t realize that he was holding was some type of cellular phone, until he’d watched him press on the screen of the slender object to his ear. 

“Hey, sorry, I know,” were the first words that came out of Naruto’s mouth. He could faintly hear the murmur of someone else, but he couldn’t make out what they were saying. It was, however, a good distraction, because the painful tightness between his legs was starting to become less exaggerated. “They’re already there? Okay, okay. No, I’m coming! I got held up.” Naruto’s eyes moved to Sasuke, and he winked. Sasuke looked away, his skin was burning up. He was only half hard now and feeling completely disgusted. “Alright, sure. Okay. I’m leaving now. Yep. Bye.” Naruto tossed the device to the side of the bed and leaned down to kiss Sasuke again, but Sasuke held his face back to stop him. 

Naruto lifted a brow at the motion.

“You have somewhere to be?” Sasuke said, and it took more out of him to keep his voice even than he liked.

“Yeah,” Naruto sighed. “Meeting with this company that wants to partner. They can wait.” He went in for a kiss again, attempting to bypass the hand on his face, but Sasuke pressed harder.

“You should go.” Sasuke insisted, because he was not prepared for any of what was happening to start up again. 

Naruto pouted his lip out and slipped past Sasuke’s hand to rest his face in the crook of his neck. “Ugh, fine.” He conceded and then kissed Sasuke’s neck before he could stop him. Sasuke flushed, but willed himself not to react too strongly. Naruto lifted his head and grinned again, giving Sasuke a look that was absolutely scandalous. “But tonight, you’re all mine.” The words made Sasuke stir in his pants.

“Go,” Sasuke pushed, not bothering to give Naruto’s promise a response. He pushed on Naruto’s shoulders to encourage him to move, and after a second, Naruto reluctantly did.

Finally having room to breathe, Sasuke let out a heavy breath and ran a hand over his face and into his hair. He tugged on the strands, and tried to piece his mind back together, while Naruto proudly walked around in his boxers sporting an obnoxious bulge.

When Naruto finally left the room to take a shower, Sasuke grabbed a pillow and smushed it against his face. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to scream or suffocate himself.

So instead he just laid here feeling lost.

 

* * *

 

Sasuke was too fucking sleepy for this. 

He was sitting in the living room of what was the Sasuke of this world’s family home. In front of him, Sakura, Naruto, Shikamaru and the blond woman, Ino were standing in front of him. It was three in the morning when he’d woken from that nightmare. And now, it was only thirty minutes later and they were all staring at him like he was some lab experiment. He, on the other hand, could barely keep his eyes open and was constantly lulling his head around, fighting to stay awake. 

Shikamaru started off the conversation, “He dreamt of the assassinations?” 

“I told him that his family was gone, but I didn’t tell him who killed them,” Naruto said before anyone asked. 

“I’ve heard Sasuke describe that memory enough times.” Everyone turned their heads to Sakura as she spoke. She pointed to Sasuke, “He described it almost exactly the same.”

“That isn’t good.” Ino spoke up, so everyone turned to her. She stepped forward and placed her hands in the seal of her clan. Naruto’s eyes widened.

“What are you doing?”

Sasuke managed to look up at her with half-lidded eyes. Ino smiled at him, likely to ease his mind about whatever she had planned. It only made him more suspicious.

She held the seal out and said, “Mind catching me, Hokage-sama?”

“What are you…?” Sasuke started to say, but Ino cut in before he could finish. 

“Shintenshin no Jutsu!”

He wasn’t prepared for the sudden darkness, or the feeling of being locked away as Ino took over.

Ino’s body slumped back and, as requested, Naruto moved to catch her. He carefully laid her body down and they all looked up to where Sasuke’s previously sleep deprived appearance was now leaning forward and looking thoughtful.

“Ino?” Shikamaru spoke up and Sasuke’s head nodded.

“I’m here.” She said with Sasuke’s deep voice, and closed his eyes. 

They waited in silence for a moment while she concentrated in the body of their ex-rogue teammate. 

After five minutes of waiting, Naruto was getting anxious. He opened his mouth to ask her what she was doing when Sasuke’s eyes opened and stopped him. 

“It’s as I thought,” Ino said, relaxing Sasuke’s body into the couch before holding up her seal and pushing her mind back into her own body. Sasuke’s body slumped and Ino’s started to move from off of the floor.

As she stood, Sakura walked over to sit beside Sasuke, now unconscious from the stress of Ino’s jutsu. She placed a healing hand on his forehead, to keep him from waking up with an ache. Naruto watched the interaction for only a second longer than necessary before he looked to Ino. 

“There’s good news and bad news. Or _really_ bad news, if I’m being honest,” Ino began, placing her hands on her hips. She gestured to Sasuke with one hand, and looked to Naruto. “Which do you want first?”

Naruto rubbed his brow, “The really bad?”

Ino shrugged, though her eyes were full of worry when they looked back to Sasuke. She might be in love with Sai, but the love she had for Sasuke would never go away, so the sadness wasn’t surprising. She explained, “Well to put it simply, his body is rejecting his soul.”

“Rejecting it?” Sakura asked and Ino sent her a sympathetic look, before looking back at Naruto.

“We assumed that he was exhausting his chakra so easily because he wasn’t able to control the massive amount, but that’s not totally true. While there is an intense amount, and because he’s not the skilled shinobi we know, it is taking a toll. What’s causing the real damage is the chakra itself. It’s trying to push his soul out, rejecting it, because the two don’t align.”

Naruto’s eyes narrowed as he stared down at Sasuke’s slumped form. 

Shikamaru spoke next, “Is there a way to stop it?” 

Ino shook her head solemnly, “No. The longer he stays in this body, the harder the chakra will push. Even if he learned to control it, it still wouldn’t stop.”

“How long do we have?” Naruto asked, looking back at Ino.

“Not long enough. Maybe three, four months.”

Naruto nodded, he’d have to ignore the high amount of anxiety building up from that bit of information in favor of being the leader he’s promised to be. He couldn’t get carried away by his emotions the way he did when he was younger, even if it was Sasuke… 

“The good news?” Sakura asked, trying to sound hopeful, but obviously looking as stressed as Naruto felt.

“It’s a double edged sword, really.” Ino answered, not making thing`s better. “Even though memories are stored in the brain, it’s our souls that allow us to access them. This jutsu transported the souls, and the souls transported the memories, but the brain is still latching onto the original memories, causing some sort of link between them.” She thought for a minute, then` drew a line with her pointer fingers to illustrate as she continued. “There’s something, a string maybe, connecting the two Sasukes. If that string snaps,” she turned her fingers outward, indicating a break, “Then their souls will be lost.” 

“Lost how?” Naruto hoped she wasn’t saying what he thought she was.

“Meaning if this Sasuke or our Sasuke, wherever he is, dies, the other will die with him.”

For a moment, they all fell silent, allowing everything to sink in. 

And then Sakura asked, sounding horrified, “How is any of that good news?”

“It’s not, but I haven’t gotten to that yet.” Ino said, looking at her childhood friend with eyes that were meant to encourage her. “The good news is that our Sasuke is definitely alive, and we have a link to him. We just need to figure out how to use it.”

 

* * *

 

Naruto had left the home hours ago and Sasuke was on his third set of one hundred push-ups. He’d already done an hour-long handstand, four hundred squats and would be doing an hour-long plank after this. His body felt like it would melt. The furniture hadn’t been touched from the day before, so he still had his empty space where he could work out this sorry excuse for a body and also have some space to clear his mind.

He knew he was pushing himself too hard, but he was sickened by the insignificant strength he felt, the way he was sluggish when he moved and the heaviness of this body.

His intense workout might also have something to do with his… _interaction_ with Naruto that morning, but he was determined to burn that memory and everything that came with it. 

Around two in the afternoon the doorknob jiggled and Sasuke paused on his ninety-seventh push-up to glare at it. Naruto had told him before he’d left that he wouldn’t be home until after five, but whoever was entering obviously had a way into this home. He reached for the kitchen knife he’d sat by his side. Others were stuck to the wall from his earlier attempts at using them as would-be kunai. They weren’t as strong or quick, but they would be sufficient if he needed them.

He bent on one knee and held the knife up to his face while the door was being pushed open. As soon as a head poked through, Sasuke threw the knife, purposely missing his target and letting it stab into the wall inches away from the head. Sasuke stood and his shoulders relaxed when he recognized the man there.

Shikamaru yelped at the speed of the knife and stared at it with wide eyes as it implanted itself firmly into the wall beside him. 

“What the fuck.” Shikamaru breathed out and held a hand over his heart. He looked around and saw knives stuck to the walls around him in an identical fashion. “What the fuck, man,” he repeated at Sasuke, stepping further into the home and closing the door behind him.

Sasuke walked over, not caring about the shock on Shikamaru’s face. He stopped inches away and grabbed onto the knife he’d just used to scare the shit out of him. He took a second to eye the terrified man he knew in his world to be a calm and collected ally. After a moment, he said in a bored tone, “Oh, it’s just you.” He yanked the knife out of the wall and walked away with it.

Shikamaru sputtered, and walked after Sasuke into the kitchen. “Oh, it’s just _me_? You just threw a fucking knife at my head. And, by the way, when the hell did you learn to do that?” 

Sasuke tossed him an uncaring look before he’d made it to the refrigerator. He opened it and pulled out a water bottle before he responded, “What are you doing here?” He opened the bottle and drank down a good amount.

“So you’re just going to ignore my question?” Shikamaru leaned against a counter and Sasuke looked over at him and shrugged. Shikamaru rolled his eyes, “Okay well, you have this thing called a job, Sasuke. And while you’re here practicing your knife throwing act, I’ve been running out of excuses to tell the boss.”

Sasuke’s brow furrowed while he finished off the water bottle and threw it into the trash.

“Job?” he questioned, and wiped a bit of sweat from his forehead. 

“Uh, yeah man. That thing we’re supposed to do on weekdays where we go in, answer phone calls and bitch about our lives. Don’t tell me you forgot?” Shikamaru joked with a light, somewhat awkward, chuckle but Sasuke didn’t know what was so funny.

“We work together at this job?” Sasuke asked instead and Shikamaru’s eyes narrowed.

“You’re fucking with me, right?”

Sasuke didn’t know how to respond to that, so he just shrugged.

“You hit your head or something?” Shikamaru stepped closer and put the back of his hand against Sasuke’s forehead. “You feel kinda hot.”

Sasuke sneered and slapped the hand away. What was it about the people in this world and their irritable need to touch him so freely? Was it really that hard for them to keep their hands to themselves?

“I’m fine,” Sasuke grumbled and walked around Shikamaru back into the living room.

Shikamaru followed him. “Okay,” he said slowly. He paused and his brow quirked as he watched Sasuke settle onto the floor. Sasuke crossed his legs and closed his eyes like he was meditating. Shikamaru crouched and gave him a confused look that Sasuke obviously couldn’t see. 

He didn’t say it out loud, but this was very weird. Sasuke was acting oddly standoffish, and the way the home had been rearranged (not to mention the knives tacked to the walls) was a bit cultish.

Shikamaru cleared his throat, “You didn’t get possessed by a ghost, did you?” He tried his hand at another joke. Sasuke opened his eyes and looked at him like he was stupid. Shikamaru held his hands up in his defense, “Hey, just asking.”

Sasuke glared at him, “I haven’t been possessed by a ghost.”

“Then what the hell is up with you man?” Shikamaru relaxed beside him, plopping onto his butt and resting his arms on his knees. Sasuke didn’t know how to respond. When all he’d gotten was silence, Shikamaru continued, “You passed out the other day, and you haven’t answered any of my calls since, which was really shitty of you, because I was worried.” Shikamaru gave him a scolding glare. Again, Sasuke didn’t respond. “The only reason I knew you weren’t dead is because I was able to get through to Naruto. So I leave work early to make sure you’re okay and I find you here looking like...” he waved his hand around at Sasuke’s exhausted, sweat glistened body, “this! I mean, what’s going on with you?”

Sasuke stared for a moment. He debated whether or not he should tell Shikamaru the truth. Naruto hadn’t believed him, but Itachi had. It might be useful to have a couple people on his side that he could trust, or at least, who seemed to be trustworthy to the other him.

But as he opened his mouth, the front door was kicked open and a burly looking man stepped through with some type of black weapon held up and pointed at them. Shikamaru immediate recognized the object and his eyes widened.

Sasuke grit his teeth and pulled the shocked Shikamaru out of the way before something small and sharp pierced through the air, firing at them at an incredible speed. Sasuke picked up the knife on his way, and pulled them behind the couch that was nearly crammed against the wall.

“Holy shit!” Shikamaru finally yelled out, patting around frantically for his phone as the mysterious man took another shot at them. It came through the couch and struck Sasuke’s leg.

The pain was unbearable for a second or two. So much that it blurred his vision and rattled each nerve in his body. He stared down at the hole in his leg, and grimaced at the amount of blood that seeped through. He then looked over at Shikamaru, who’d managed to get his phone out and was speaking into it, “H-hello. I’m at—,”

“Who are you calling?” Sasuke said and peeked over the couch at the assailant. He was aiming at his head now and Sasuke ducked just before the projectile got him in the head. Judging from the amount of damage it did to his leg through the couch; one hit from that device would definitely kill him.  

Shikamaru’s eyes looked like they would tear up, but he spoke out the address into the phone with an impressive amount of ease before he answered Sasuke, “The police.” Another shot fired through the couch; luckily it only hit the TV in front of them, blowing out a bit of electricity that didn’t reach them. Sasuke tightened his grip on the knife and closed his eyes. He worked to calm his heart so that it was beating at a solid pace. He needed to gage the man’s location. He only had one shot and if the man got him first then he doubted he’d survive. Shikamaru continued over the phone. “Can you please just get down here? We’re being fucking shot at!” Another shot, it hit the phone and Shikamaru dropped the crippled device as if it would burn him. 

Sasuke let out another breath, and then opened his eyes.

_Now!_

He stood to his feet and threw the knife. It lodged itself into the man’s neck and threw him against the wall behind him.

When the room fell silent Shikamaru shakily looked up at Sasuke. Sasuke’s eyes were narrowed at the dying man, and he’d ignored Shikamaru in favor of stepping around the couch to inspect the body. He walked with a painful limp, but for the most part, disregarded the warm liquid soiling his pant leg. 

The man glared at Sasuke as he approached. After a few choked gargles, his body slumped, his eyes rolled back and he was gone.

He wasn’t anyone recognizable; a tall looking man with brown hair, a full beard and mustache. He was muscular too, and would’ve definitely been a problem if he’d run out of things to fire at them. 

Sasuke looked over at the device the man was using to attack them. It wasn’t something he’d encountered in his world, but it definitely did a significant amount of damage. He bent down to pick it up, intent on inspecting it, but Shikamaru was at his side and grabbing his wrist to stop him. The pain of the crouched position forced Sasuke to fall back and hiss at his bleeding leg. 

Pushing the pain to the side, Sasuke glared at him and opened his mouth to speak, but Shikamaru beat him to it, “What are you doing?” He hissed, and looked around as if he was afraid someone else would come in shooting at them. “The police are coming.” 

“Police?” Sasuke’s mind drifted to the military police force in his world. He wondered if the two were one in the same.

Shikamaru rolled his eyes, actually looking annoyed by Sasuke’s ignorance, “Yeah. We just got shot at by some random asshole and you stuck a knife in his neck. Who the hell did you think I’d call?”

Sasuke didn’t appreciate the tone, but he bit back his words. He still didn’t understand why Shikamaru had stopped him from grabbing the black object that nearly killed them.

Barely a minute of silent breathing passed and sirens could be heard from outside. Seconds later, hurried steps came through the door. They looked back, and Sasuke was surprised to see among the five people that entered, his brother was one of them, wearing a blue collared shirt and a thick black vest. A golden badge was clipped to the vest, and Sasuke made out the words as: “Tokyo City Police Department”. Itachi was holding out a similar black device and was looking around the home with hardened eyes until they landed on the lifeless body. The others spread out while Itachi approached, lowering his weapon slightly when his eyes met Sasuke’s.

“Itachi?” Sasuke questioned.

Itachi kneeled between them and inspected the body. There was no need to check for signs of life. The knife was embedded so deeply into his jugular, he’d have to be the undead to survive such a precise blow. Around them, they heard the other officers shouting out “Clear!” as they checked for any other signs of danger.

“Guess I should’ve told you where I work.” Itachi finally said, looking away from the body to Sasuke. He caught sight of the blood spilling from Sasuke’s leg and called over his shoulder, “We need the medic! Shot to the right leg, possible ligament damage!” One of the officers hurried out of the home, and Itachi held his hand to the wound, not caring that it was getting blood on the cuff of his shirt. “The team that received the call called my unit when they recognized your address,” Itachi explained, increasing his pressure against the wound a bit more.

Itachi looked over to Shikamaru, noting that Sasuke’s friend wasn’t hysterical, but obviously looked faint. 

“You okay, Nara?” Itachi asked, sounding all business, but with a hint of worry in his tone.

“No.” Shikamaru answered with a disbelieving laugh void of any real humor. 

A team came in just then. One helped Shikamaru away from the body, ushering him out the door to allow him to get some air. Itachi stayed by Sasuke and removed his hand from the bullet wound when the paramedic team crouched around to assess the damage. They helped Sasuke away from the dead body so that the other investigators could take their pictures and note any important details about the deceased.

A few feet away now, they settled on the mangled couch to temporarily dress the wound. Two medics were already arriving with a bed ready to wheel Sasuke into the ambulance.

While the medic wrapped the thick gauze around the hole in Sasuke’s leg, Itachi asked, “What happened here?”

Sasuke stared down at the woman caring to his injury while he responded, “He came in and attacked. I took him down. I don’t know why and I don’t know who he is.” 

Itachi nodded. 

It didn’t take long to get him wrapped. Next they lifted Sasuke up and, to his dismay, lifted him into the bed. He wanted to say he was fine to move on his own, but he didn’t fully know what was happening and needed to keep his cool. Itachi being there definitely helped him control his rising temper.

“Where are they taking me?” Sasuke asked when he was brought outside on the uncomfortable bed. He noticed a few nosy neighbors staring with wide eyes and mouths hanging open. He glared at them as they passed and a few who noticed the heated stare quickly looked away. Shikamaru was there in the ambulance with something over his mouth. It was connected to some machine and appeared to be helping him breathe. Itachi climbed in after Sasuke and once the doors were closed by one of the paramedics, he finally answered.

“We’re going to the hospital, Sasuke,” Itachi said and Sasuke had to resist the urge to groan. The one place he didn’t want to go.

“I’m fine,” Sasuke insisted and Itachi glared at him for it.

“You were shot in the leg and there’s no exit wound. You’re not okay.” Itachi chided and Sasuke clicked his tongue.

“I know my body.” Sasuke said, instinctually and Itachi all but hissed back.

“That’s not your body, and I’d appreciate it if you kept it in one piece.”

Sasuke looked away, feeling a bit irritated but also a little guilt. Shikamaru was completely lost, unable to follow the interaction, but also more concerned about when his heart would stop beating so erratically.

 

* * *

 

They allowed Sasuke to sleep until the sun was fully overhead. Naruto had transported them to the training grounds. They were in the middle of the grassy field. Sasuke was still knocked out until Naruto’s hand touched his cheek, patting it lightly.

Sasuke’s eyes squeezed before they blinked open. He looked up at Naruto who was holding him up with one arm. Sasuke touched Naruto’s cheek, looking like he was in a daze. Before Naruto could properly react, Sasuke pulled his head down and kissed him. 

He hadn’t been expecting the action at all, and it left him too stunned to immediately pull away. 

Sasuke turned his head, and moaned into the feeling that was both familiar and somehow different in many ways. He pried Naruto’s lips open with his and licked his tongue inside of the spread lips to taste the inside of Naruto’s delicious mouth.

When he felt the slick muscle press against his own tongue, and the heat that flooded to his groin, Naruto realized he was kissing back, and forced himself back to his senses. He quickly stood up, leaving Sasuke to drop painfully to the ground without his support. Sasuke groaned at the pain that shot through his skull when his head was dropped against a hard rock hidden by the grass beneath him.  

“Sorry!” Naruto said, reaching out to help him, but hesitating because he was feeling hot all over and a bit afraid of touching Sasuke again. 

“Fucking hell,” Sasuke grumbled as he sat up, rubbing the back of his head to ease the stinging. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to do that.” Sasuke said, instead of snapping at Naruto for nearly cracking his head open. “I wasn’t thinking.”

Naruto gulped, squirming now. That kiss had completely turned him upside down. He wanted to think that it didn’t arouse him as much as it did, especially when Sasuke was looking down with such sad and guilty eyes.

“It’s okay.” Naruto said, sounding breathless and highly uncomfortable. He willed his excitement away and cleared his throat. “We, uh… we need to continue our training.” 

Sasuke looked up, eyes still pleading for something that wasn’t there, and nodded. He held a hand out for Naruto to help him up, and even though Naruto was still feeling unsure, he did. He pulled up, and as soon as Sasuke was on his feet he let go. 

Sakura and Kakashi appeared then, and immediately noticed the tension. While Sakura peered at them curiously, Kakashi didn’t mind speaking his mind, “Something wrong?”

“Other than the fact that this body is trying to kick me out? Nothing,” Sasuke snapped and the two newcomers turned to Naruto.

“You told him that?” Sakura asked, shocked that Naruto would say such a thing when it was his order to keep the full situation from causing Sasuke to worry too much. 

Naruto’s eyes widened, his flushed skin turning back to its usual tanned complexion. “I didn’t.” He answered, then looked to Sasuke, blocking out the memory of Sasuke’s lips on his in order to look him in the eye. “How did you know that?” 

Sasuke shrugged, “I don’t know. Your friend; when she went in my body, I think our thoughts got tangled up.”

Sakura looked from Sasuke to Naruto, then to Kakashi. “It’s like Ino said. It’s likely because his mind is being spread out between two worlds that he was able to tap into what Ino was thinking while she was in there. He shouldn’t be able to do it, but it’s likely the jutsu is making his mind less malleable.”

“Or more so,” Kakashi suggested, and stepped over to get a closer look at Sasuke. Sasuke leaned back when he felt the older man had gotten too close, and wrinkled his nose at him.

Sasuke tried to ignore the closeness as he spoke, “Does it even matter? It’s not like anything would surprise me at this point.” 

Kakashi poked his nose and Sasuke slapped at the hand that was moved before he could hit it.

“Don’t touch me,” he hissed, making it apparent that he didn’t care for the perverted man too much.

“You’re so expressive. It’s cute, Other-kun,” Kakashi joked, closing his eyes and appearing to smile under the mask.

“Fuck off,” Sasuke snapped and Kakashi flicked his forehead. “Shit!” Sasuke yelped in agony. He crouched and cradled his pained head. It felt like he’d been hit with a hammer.

“Shall we get started?” Kakashi said carelessly as he walked away from Sasuke’s crumbled form. Naruto and Sakura watched the exchange and sighed.

 

* * *

 

The first few attempts had gone as poorly as the day before. It was dark now. After five hours of watching the clones turn out worse and worse Sakura stopped Sasuke and forced him to sit with his legs crossed. 

Sasuke was already irritated by his own failure and was glaring at Sakura. He grumbled, “What are we doing?” 

“Your control over the chakra in that body is half-assed, Other-kun,” Kakashi said in a teasing tone that was designed to stab at Sasuke’s nerves. And what the hell was with that nickname? 

Sasuke turned to him with a middle finger, and Sakura grabbed it, pulling it and his attention back to her. She gave him a sweet look, but said, “He’s right, Sasuke-kun.” 

Sasuke huffed, shooting one more glare at Kakashi, before fully focusing on the pink-haired girl. 

“I’m doing what you taught me to do,” he reasoned and Sakura nodded.

“Yes, but you’re also trying too hard, letting out chakra like an untrained toddler,” Kakashi responded in her stead and Sakura glared this time.

Before Sasuke could speak his mind to their old teacher, Sakura spoke up, “You’ve got to think of your chakra like you think about…” she took a moment to come up with the right analogy. “Water,” she decided and Sasuke’s eyebrows scrunched.

“Like water?” He questioned.

“A necessity.” Naruto added in an attempt to be helpful. Sasuke looked over at him and Naruto immediately looked away. Sasuke’s eyes narrowed, but he didn’t say anything. He looked back at Sakura instead.

Sakura smiled and nodded, “Right. Think of chakra like you think of water. Our bodies are partly made up of water, but we can consume it and expel it. Even so, while we’re alive, we’ll always have the water inside of us. The only difference between water and chakra is that you have full control over how much chakra stays in your body,” she pressed a finger to his chest, “And how much of it you want to let out. But just like water, you need chakra to survive, so you have to think about it as a part of you.”

It felt like a full minute went by. 

“I don’t get it,” Sasuke deadpanned and Sakura nearly hung her head in defeat.

Kakashi stepping forward until he was close enough to crouch in front of Sasuke. The same book from the day before was out and at his nose. He didn’t look up from the pages as he spoke. “You’re thinking of it as if it’s an _accessory_.” 

Sasuke glared at him and was about to snap out an insult just because this man had been getting on his nerves since he’d met him. But he stopped when Kakashi looked up at him to continue his explanation. 

“Stop thinking about it like it’s not the thing keeping you alive and breathing. Stop thinking about it as if it’s not what allows your muscles to move and your brain to function.” Kakashi lightly smacked Sasuke’s forehead with the book and Sasuke was too taken by the words to properly react. 

“So you’re saying it _is_ a necessity?” He asked, watching Kakashi get up and walked back to where he stood by Naruto. 

“Right,” Sakura answered. She reached forward and grabbed Sasuke’s hand. “Close your eyes,” she instructed, and he did as he was told. She continued, “Feel the chakra move through your body. Concentrate on letting out little bits at a time. Focus on the technique and all it’s meanings. When you do all of that, then you’ll start to regulate your chakra correctly, and it won’t mutate the jutsu you perform.”

They stayed like that for a while. When Sakura felt Sasuke’s chakra shift, she smiled.

He opened his eyes and grinned, and Sakura blushed at the expression.

“Wow,” Sasuke said through a sigh and looked down at his hand. Sakura let it go and he balled it into a fist. “That’s incredible.” 

“Mind demonstrating?” Kakashi said, sounding like he didn’t care, but he’d put his book into his back pocket and was focused solely on Sasuke. 

“Gladly,” Sasuke said in a tone that was expectantly cocky and reminded them of his other self.

He stood up with Sakura and she backed away to give him the space he needed.

Sasuke’s eyes met Naruto’s again, and again that moron looked away, this time scratching the back of his neck. Sasuke only allowed it to hurt for a moment, before he pushed the thought away.

He held up the seal and called out, “Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!”

 _Poof!_  

The three crowded around to look at the clone that appeared. Everyone seemed relieved that what appeared was an exact replica of their exhausted teammate.

“Hell yes,” Sasuke breathed out as he looked into his own eyes. As strange as this was, he felt oddly euphoric knowing that he’d been able to finally create the damned doppelganger.

The clone disappeared and Sasuke nearly collapsed. Naruto caught him before he could and Sasuke looked up at him with a weak smile. “Finally able to look at me, huh?” Sasuke said low enough for only Naruto to hear. Naruto blushed, and he had a feeling that Kakashi had heard it as well. 

“You did it, Sasuke-kun!” Sakura said with a big smile. Naruto slowly let Sasuke go, their eyes holding for far too long before Sasuke looked away to give Sakura a smug look. 

“You’re not a lost cause after all,” Kakashi joked, even if it didn’t feel much like a joke.

Sasuke glared at him, but ignored his words in favor of responding to Sakura, “Of course.” He smirked, making it seem like he hadn’t spent the last several hours making strange, crumpled versions of his self appear. “What’s next?” He asked, looking to Naruto, who had to clear his throat so that he could speak properly.

“Maybe we should call it a night. Tomorrow we can continue.” Naruto looked away then, because Sasuke’s eyes were boring into him now and it was unbearable. 

“Should we head home?” Sakura suggested to Sasuke, looking giddy and proud. He remembered her words from the previous night: 

 _“You’re strong too… Sasuke-kun. Maybe not in the same sense as my Sasuke. But, in your own way.”_  

It sent a pleasant warmth to his chest. He was about to say, “yes,” but the way Naruto was squirming and stealing awkward looks had Sasuke feeling like he wanted to strangle the blond. So he nodded, but said, “I want to speak to Naruto first.”

Sakura faltered, something odd flashing in her eyes at the words, but she nodded back. 

“Later,” Kakashi said, cutting the mood and disappearing before anyone could stop him. 

Sakura looked back at Sasuke, eyes still showing some weird emotion he couldn’t piece together, and then she disappeared. 

Sasuke sighed. Naruto was still standing there squirming and trying not to look at Sasuke. It was annoying, and Sasuke grit his teeth as he spoke, “Look, I’m sorry I kissed you. I really didn’t mean to.”

Naruto looked at him again and Sasuke was looking back, his eyes full of so much hurt that it was breathtaking.

“I know you’re not my Naruto. I know that, but when I woke up, and saw you looking at me, I just…” Sasuke looked away and bit his lip. He looked like he wanted to cry again, and Naruto didn’t think he could get used to this amount of emotion coming from his stoic friend. “Just, if I have to be here with you looking like the man I love, the least you could do is not look at me like you’re afraid I’ll jump you, or something…”

Naruto was dumbfounded. His heart had hummed at the idea of Sasuke loving him, even if he knew the giddiness he felt at the words was ridiculous for more reasons than one.

A part of him wanted to pull this dejected Sasuke into his arms. A part of him wanted to tell him he was sorry and that he had it all wrong. A part of him wanted to press their lips together again to see if it sent the same shock of pleasure through his body as it did before. But the only thing he could do was nod, because even the idea of indulging in this thing that was so wrong in so many ways was completely absurd. He was married and he loved Hinata very much. And he loved Sasuke, but not like that, never like that. And this wasn’t even the same Sasuke he’d grown to love. This Sasuke didn’t belong here and when they found a way to bring their Sasuke back, he doubted the bastard would appreciate the idea of Naruto taking advantage of his body. 

Sasuke nodded back after a moment and looked away. A moment passed and Naruto heard Sasuke sigh and watched his shoulders sag. Sasuke’s voice pulled him in, “You know what I really want?” Sasuke looked back and Naruto thought he would choke at the sight of tears silently rolling down Sasuke’s cheeks. Sasuke smiled through his tears and Naruto thought it looked absolutely heartbreaking, “You… my Naruto, he loves these stupid reality TV shows. It’s like, a show where they try to capture real life, but it’s totally scripted and fake. I don’t know if you have those here.”

Naruto shook his head dumbly, and Sasuke continued.

“Well you love them, and you always try to get me to watch them with you.” Sasuke laughed a little again and wiped one of his cheeks to dry out the wetness there. He closed his eyes as he spoke, as if he were imagining it, “What I really want is to sit in our living room, drink cheap beer and watch those stupid fucking reality shows with you. I want to see you laugh at something completely idiotic, and then you’d turn to me to see if I thought it was funny too,” another sad chuckle. “Of course I wouldn’t,” he shrugged. “And then you’d kiss me and call me a name and I’d call you an idiot and it would be perfect.” He sighed and turned away from Naruto.

“I’ll make sure you get home. I promise!” Naruto blurted out, and Sasuke whipped around to look at him. “I promise.” Naruto repeated, eyes hard and determined. “I won’t let you die, and I'll make sure you get home to your Naruto.”

Sasuke stared at him, taking in these confident words and letting them sink in. A second passed before his lips spread into a wide smile. “I know. I believe in you, Naruto.” Sasuke said and Naruto felt his heart convulse painfully in his chest. 

This was bad. These feelings he was developing, they had to stop. He wasn’t even sure where these feelings came from, if they’d started with this Sasuke, or if they had always been there. 

It took a moment for Naruto to right himself. When he did, he grinned and held up his thumb. Sasuke couldn’t suppress the breathy laugh that escaped him at Naruto’s hero-like pose. “I won’t let you down, Sasuke,” Naruto said and Sasuke had no choice but to cling onto those words with all the hope he could muster.

 

* * *

 

From his angle in the highest tree above the cloaked training grounds, purple eyes watched the two figures identified as Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto disappear. A voice came through the earpiece hidden by thick white hair, **“Did you make a move?”**

“Negative,” he spoke, sounding bored like he was planning on taking a nap. “Their previous and current Hokage were with him and I don’t plan on dying today.”

He heard an angered growl over the device, and paid it no mind.

**“You have a mission.”**

“And I’ll make my move when I know I’ll succeed.”  

Now it was just heavy breathing and he wondered if he should turn off his communication device.

Finally the breathing stopped, and the voice came back, **“I want him dead.”**

“Yeah, yeah,” he yawned. “Just trust me okay?”

**“I expect his head.”**

“Expect nothing less.”

The line went dead then, and he stood from his position in the tree. He made to leave, when a kunai was pointed at his neck.

“Leaving so soon?” A lazy voice spoke and he didn’t dare move. 

Kakashi offered a false smile through his mask, pricking the kunai’s edge at the skin of the white haired shinobi’s neck. He disregarded the blood that slipped out.

Kakashi’s next words were said in a voice that was overly kind, “Let’s have a little chat, shall we?”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyo~ Look at that! I didn't take a whole year to post the next chapter ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
> 
> Let me know what y'all think! I'll be posting again (hopefully) soon. I have a couple other things I want to update first though, so don't hate me if it takes me a minute. 
> 
> Until then~


	4. The Rinnegan Eye

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so sorry for taking so damn long. 
> 
> Also! I started adding locations for the two worlds because I didn't want anyone to get confused.
> 
> ANYWAY!
> 
> Carry on...

_Tokyo_

Sasuke didn’t understand all the commotion about the wound to his leg. Being frantically wheeled into the hospital, to some room labeled “Emergency” seemed a bit exaggerated. 

Itachi separated from him at the entrance, and now he was being lifted into another bed by four nurses whom he just wanted to push away because, dammit, he could move on his own. 

Some man in a surgical mask and hat walked up with a needle in hand. Sasuke’s eyes widened at the liquid. 

“What is that?” He demanded, doing his best to scoot away with several different hands holding him down. After a few good attempts to get away, they all managed to get him still.

“Just relax, Uchiha-san.” 

The doctor stuck the needle into his arm before he could respond. Sasuke grit his teeth as if he were seconds from biting the man. 

But then his muscles began to relax, his jaw loosened and his eyes rolled back. It only took a few seconds after that for him to be submerged into darkness.

 

* * *

 

Sasuke blinked his eyes open after what felt like only a second. The way his vision immediately shifted told him that he’d been out for much longer. 

He closed his eyes and grit his teeth at the dull ache in his head. He tried to sit up more but he felt the restriction around his leg. When he opened his eyes again, he saw that his leg was tightly wrapped in thick dressing and suspended into the air by a sling. He glared at it, and his hands twitched to rip everything off and get the hell out of there, but a familiar voice stopped him.

“Don’t you dare.” He  turned to see Itachi sitting by the bed with his legs crossed. 

Sasuke eyed his brother, “How long do I have to be here?” 

“Naruto’s on his way,” Itachi said, disregarding Sasuke’s question. He stood up and walked up to stand beside the bed. “We’ll have to tell him everything that happened, about the shooter, your leg, that you threw a knife into his neck and killed him with one hit,” Itachi put a bit of emphasis at the end as if to point out the absurdity of it all. “You’ll have to tell him the truth, you know.” 

“I already tried, he didn’t believe me.” 

“I’m sure that won’t be the case this time,” Itachi shrugged. Even Naruto wasn’t that clueless. He switched gears, “I smoothed things over with my unit. They’re taking it as if it was an act of self defense, but you’ll have to come down to the station to answer a couple questions.” 

Sasuke’s eyes shifted to the badge on Itachi’s vest. He looked into his brother’s eyes, “You’re apart of the police force?” He’d been meaning to ask since he’d seen the badge back at the house, but things were a bit too hectic then. 

Itachi eyed him, then looked away saying, “Captain actually. I usually don’t go out when we get a call, but like I said, they recognized the address.” He looked back at Sasuke, “Why do you ask?” Or rather, he wondered why Sasuke’s eyes were so whimsical now.

“Our clan, the Uchiha clan, we were the police force.” Sasuke answered. His eyes were narrowed now as if he were thinking of a bad memory. Itachi wanted to ask about it, but he figured knowing things about a world that didn’t exist for him wouldn’t do him much good. He was a man of logic, after all.

“Clan, huh? Sounds quite deadly,” Itachi mused and Sasuke scoffed out a dry laugh. 

“We were,” his tone was dark now and Itachi felt the atmosphere shift. 

“Where you’re from, things are much more dangerous there, aren’t they? You called yourself a shinobi, and yet the brother I know works at an office, and his biggest complaint in life is our pain in the ass uncle.” Itachi tone was humored but the hardness in his eyes suggested that none of this was funny to him. Itachi leaned forward and spoke his next words in a low voice, “When you told me about where you’d come from, you failed to mention the mercenaries.”  Itachi’s eyes were narrowed deeply now. Sasuke resisted the urge to gulp at the heated stare. He wasn’t a child anymore. 

Sasuke glared back, “I told you I didn’t know who that was, or why he came.” 

Itachi leaned back and pulled something out of his vest, Sasuke noticed the bloody cuff, but he didn’t comment on it. 

The item he pulled out caught his attention almost immediately. It was frighteningly familiar. A scroll, small and bound by a purple thread. 

“I found this in the pocket of the man you killed. It’s against the law for me to tamper with evidence, but I had a feeling you’d recognize it.” 

Sasuke opened his mouth to ask for it, but Itachi slipped it back into his vest before he’d had the chance. 

Itachi continued, “Do you know what it is?” 

Sasuke’s mouth tightened into a thin line. He didn’t like the accusatory tone Itachi was using. Nevertheless, he answered evenly, “It’s a scroll.” 

“What is it used for?” 

“Concentrated techniques,” Sasuke didn’t know any other way to explain it. Itachi’s head cocked to the side. He wanted to ask more, but the soft knocking on the door stopped him. His eyes told Sasuke that they would continue this talk later. 

The door was pushed open and the Sakura of this world stepped through with a bright smile. She was wearing blue scrubs and a long white lab coat. 

“Uchiha-san. Back so soon?” Sakura joked.

“Hn,” was all Sasuke had to offer. 

She smiled at Itachi and reached out to shake his hand. He accepted it, and she bowed her head as she spoke, “It’s nice to meet you. I’m Doctor Haruno.” She straightened and walked over to stand by Sasuke’s bed. 

“When can I leave?” Sasuke asked her and Itachi glared at him for it. Sasuke ignored it. 

Sakura’s eyebrows scrunched and she gave him a look as if she was truly concerned, “I wouldn’t be much of a doctor if I sent you home tonight. You got shot in the leg, Uchiha-san. We had to extract the bullet, and suture the wound. Not to mention, you lost quite a bit of blood. You were lucky it went into your muscle, but we’d still like to keep an eye on you until we’re sure there won’t be any lasting damage.”  

Sasuke’s eyes didn’t waver. “I’d like to leave today.” He didn’t have time to stay here. He’d had a feeling the man who’d come in and attacked them was after him and not the other Sasuke, but it was made even more apparent with that scroll Itachi had tucked in his vest. That man was out to get _him_ , and was somehow linked to the people who put him in this damnable world. 

Sakura pursed her lips. She looked to Itachi, who looked at her with apologetic eyes. 

She sighed and looked back to Sasuke, eyes pleading and tone reassuring. “I strongly suggest you stay here for the night,” she tried again and Sasuke didn’t even blink. 

“I’ll be fine.” 

Sakura bit her lip, but sighed. Her sagged shoulders suggested her defeat. 

“Well I can’t force you to stay,” she shrugged, and then a mischievous look came over her, “But, I can’t say the same about your partner.” 

“Partner?” Sasuke questioned and Itachi nudged him.

“Naruto,” Itachi offered, trying to make it seem more natural than having to remind Sasuke of who his partner of ten years was in front of this curious doctor. 

Sasuke’s eyes narrowed, “Where is he?” 

She pulled out a pen from the breast pocket of her scrubs and marked something down on the clipboard by his bed, then used it to point behind her. “He’s in the room down the hall. B-284,” she said and slipped the pen back into her pocket. “He fainted when he was told you were in surgery, so we’ll be keeping him through the night for observation.” She looked up at him and smiled, “You, of course, are free to go if you refuse to stay,” She bowed at them and then left them in the room. Sasuke realized then that this woman was just as cunning as the Sakura from his world. 

 

* * *

 

_Konohagakure_

Sasuke opened his eyes to a small face that resembled Naruto’s and the little girl who was supposed to be his daughter, _or the other guy’s daughter._ He was sprawled out on the couch and they were leaned forward with their heads only inches away from his tired face. 

He peered at them through heavy-lidded eyes, then turned his face away to yawn. When he looked back and they were still there, he raised an eyebrow at them. 

“What?” He asked, sounding snappish, but really just too tired to communicate properly. 

“The old man’s out doing Hokage stuff, wanna come train with us?” Boruto said, shifting his feet as if he were excited, yet didn’t want it to show. Sarada nudged him, and he stopped moving. 

Sasuke sat up and they finally gave him a bit of personal space. 

He looked around, noting that Sakura was nowhere in sight. He looked back at them again and this time his face twisted into a look of unmasked arrogance. 

“Don’t you guys have something better to do? Like, playing video games or…” Sasuke paused, “Do you guys even have video games in this world?” 

Boruto’s face lit up. “We do! We have—OW!” He crouched and rubbed the spot where Sarada slugged him in the back of the head. Sasuke couldn’t help but think the action was overly violent, but he didn’t say anything because Boruto didn’t seem too hurt by it. 

“Boruto,” Sarada said in a warning voice, then crouched down to his level to whisper, even though Sasuke could still hear them. _“Mama told us to train with Papa. We’re not playing your stupid games.”_

Boruto pouted, but whispered back, _“Fine.”_

They stood up straight again and gave him their best innocent smiles. 

Sasuke let it slide in favor of turning their offer down again, “Aren’t you two like… ten?” 

They looked at each other, then back at Sasuke and said in unison, “We’re twelve.”

Sasuke shook his head, “Yeah, no way.” 

“But—“ 

“What is this, some type of joke?” Sasuke was glaring now. He knew he wasn’t as strong as _their Sasuke_ , but trying to get him to train with these little kids was just insulting. 

“It’s not a joke Papa. Everyone is at the tower, so they asked us to train with you. Boruto and I are genin, so training with us will make it less likely that you’ll get killed.” Sarada said in a diplomatic voice that reasoned with him and egged him on at the same time. Sasuke recognized that same arrogant tone in his self, it was both impressive and irritating. 

He sighed, unsure of how this was supposed to help him, but realized they weren’t going to take no for an answer. 

So he got up, throwing the covers to the side and headed to the master bedroom where Sakura had been putting his clothes atop the dresser. 

As he went, Boruto and Sarada looked at each other with matching grins. 

He snatched the clothes up on the way to the bathroom and shut the door sharply behind him. A quick piss later and he was stripping off his night wear and puling on the fresh pair of pants. He stopped when he caught sight of himself in the mirror. 

It was hard not to look at this body whenever the chance presented itself.  The healed flesh of his left arm was always a point of interest that took a while to tear his eyes away from. He lifted the arm and viewed it from different angles as he did the previous days and nights. 

Once his continued examining of the missing limb had built up too much anxiety, he quickly rested it at his side. Instead, he focused on the rest of this body. He smoothed his hand over his chest and stomach, marveling at the muscles there, but even more taken by the lightened scars spread out over his usually blemish-free skin. As he ran the pads of his fingers over each mark, a rush of unknown emotion swirled around within him. Flashes of images from an unfamiliar childhood, inklings of pain that sparked at his flesh.

He fisted his hand and placed it back at his side. Another quick once over and he slipped his shirt on with an amount of ease that wasn’t present the first few times he’d tried to wrangle the sleeves around his arm and a half.

They set off minutes after that. 

They headed to a different area than where he was practicing his clone technique. Sarada informed him that he would no longer be going to that other location to train. He vaguely wondered why, but realized whatever the answer was, he likely wouldn’t understand it. 

They ran to the location and Sasuke was surprised at how fast and far his legs could go. He wasn’t even feeling exhausted when they’d made it to the new training grounds, littered with cut up trees and makeshift targets. 

Once they were there, Boruto walked up and handed him an array of sharp knife-like weapons. He recognized them as ninja stars and possible daggers, but they referred to them as Kunai and Shuriken. 

He fumbled to place them in his pocket and held one of the kunai in his hand. Boruto grinned at him, and again Sasuke was struck by how much the young boy resembled Naruto. So much so that he hadn’t even registered when Boruto threw the weapon until he heard the sharp pierce and clank sound it made as it embedded into one of the abused trees. 

Sasuke’s eyes widened, but he bit back his natural reaction of “Holy Shit!” Because he refused to let these kids see him looking nervous about what he’d gotten himself into. Instead he just stared at it, eyes a bit wide, but otherwise passive. 

“Your turn,” Boruto said. He folded his arms behind his head and grinned. Sasuke lifted the kunai, then looked to Sarada.

She smiled and nodded. 

Sasuke shrugged. _Here goes nothing._

He closed his eyes for a moment, focusing his chakra the way Sakura had taught him to then opened them to execute the throw. 

He wasn’t sure if it was a good thing or bad thing that it flew straight through the tree, splitting it in half and causing the top to topple over in their direction. 

Probably a bad thing. 

“Shit,” Sasuke stared up at the tree coming at them until he was roughly tackled out of the way by Boruto. 

Rolled onto the grass now, Boruto was laughing while Sarada was looking down at them and shaking her head. 

Sasuke cleared his throat and stood up, brushing his pants off and trying to look unaffected. 

“You used too much chakra,” Sarada said, walking up and pinching Boruto’s cheek to get him to quiet down. He did, and glared at her a bit before focusing his eyes on Sasuke. They were blue like Naruto’s. 

Sarada pulled his attention again when she leapt into the air with four kunai held between her fingers. She held them up above her head and threw downward in a way that physics should have sent them straight to the ground, but somehow they’d flown past Sasuke to a far away tree. They mounted into the bark in a perfect line. He fought his jaw to keep it from slipping open and making him look like a moron. 

He blinked at the kunai, while Sarada brushed her hair over her shoulder. She was blushing a little too, likely because this was her first time getting to show off in front of her father. Even if he wasn’t really him… 

“How did you learn to do that?” He said flatly, masking his complete disbelief. 

“It’s a specialty in the Uchiha clan,” Boruto answered for her. 

“Clan? Right. Our—your family. _His_ family.” He walked over to the tree and tilted his head at Sarada’s work. “That’s pretty cool.” Sasuke mumbled, tapping one of the kunai’s with a finger to see if it would fall. It didn’t. He looked back over at the kids and eyed the two of them. “Anything else I should know… about the Uchiha clan?” _Other than them all being dead._

Sarada shifted and Boruto looked at her like he was expecting for her to say something. She looked at him and grumbled something Sasuke couldn’t hear. He wondered for a moment if Naruto’s kid might have a crush on his daughter, _the other guy’s daughter._ Or if it was the other way around. He wasn’t sure. 

Sarada closed her eyes and after a minute passed, Sasuke felt a bit awkward for asking. But finally Sarada looked up at him and her eyes were red, decorated with a single black swirl in a design that looked incomplete. 

“Okay,” Sasuke said, evening out his voice so that he didn’t sound as creeped out as he felt. “Want to explain that?” 

“The sharingan. Only members of the Uchiha clan can obtain this ability.” Sarada began and Sasuke sat down with his legs crossed because he figured it would be a long story. Boruto sat beside him and Sarada went on to explain the different uses of their powerful technique. 

 

* * *

 

_Tokyo_

Sasuke glared at the wheelchair and crutches Itachi presented to him. Sakura had left them almost an hour ago. In that time he’d been able to change into normal clothes (embarrassingly with a generous amount of help from Itachi) a black sweater and shorts to keep the pressure off his wound. Now, he sat on the hospital bed with his arms crossed. His injured leg was still bound tightly, and he was forced to keep it straight because of the wrappings. Regardless, the pain was inconsequential. There was no need for either apparatus. 

“No.” He said, when his glare and defiant posture wasn’t enough to deter Itachi. 

Itachi glared back, “You have to use one or the other. I’m not letting you damage my brother’s leg because you have some complex you need to get over.” Sasuke wasn’t sure how he felt about hearing this Itachi speak to him as if he was an invader in this body, when it was almost completely true. It still felt uncomfortable. 

Sasuke shifted, but he wasn’t easily persuaded. “It would only slow me down.” 

“And you should have thought about that before you got shot.” 

“It’s not as if I did this to myself.” 

Itachi rolled his eyes, “You hid behind a couch while someone came at you with a gun. You’re lucky you’re not dead.” 

Sasuke stopped to think about that. He had a comeback, but something Itachi said nudged the gears in his head. He should have been dead. Was that luck? Or was his life deliberately spared? 

Itachi noticed the way Sasuke became lost in thought. He tilted his head, “What? Is there something I need to know?” 

Sasuke looked up at Itachi again, eyes narrowed while his brain worked out the different theories. One seemed the most logical, “He wasn’t planning on killing me. He wanted to take me alive.” That has to be it. Itachi was right, that metal projectile went straight through the couch, and it was fast too. He had plenty of chances to kill Sasuke if he’d wanted to.

Itachi stared at him for a moment, then nodded, “I thought about that as a possibility. But why?”

“Why any of this? Why bring me to this world? It’s likely that he was working with the shinobi who did this.” 

Itachi shook his head, relaxing his grip on the crutches and laying them on top of the wheelchair. He walked over and sat next to Sasuke. “That’s not possible. It might be normal for you, but ninjas, having strange powers, whatever it is that goes on in your world, it doesn’t exist here. Besides, he went after you with a gun.”

Sasuke stared at Itachi, again thinking things over. “Maybe,” he finally said. But there was something bothering him, and he assumed that scroll Itachi had tucked away would answer some of his questions. He just needed to get them somewhere private. But there lies the problem at hand. 

Sasuke sighed, “Okay, give me those.” He held out a defeated hand towards the crutches. Itachi gave him a half-smile and handed them over. Sasuke slid off the bed and maneuvered them under his arms, refusing the hand Itachi offered to help him up. He managed to straighten his good leg, the crutches making it easy for him to keep his bad leg bent and off the ground. Once he was properly adjusted and standing as comfortably straight as possible, he looked to Itachi and said, “Let’s go wake up the idiot.” 

 

* * *

 

_Konohagakure_

Naruto crouched in front of the man Kakashi had brought into their intelligence division the night before. The shinobi with long white hair, a young tanned face and a headband that held an unrecognizable symbol sat, chained to a wooden chair in front of him. The man’s head was down, but lulled from side to side every now and again to let Naruto know he was still conscious. 

Shikamaru stood by Naruto’s side and the two of them silently observed the enemy when Hinata appeared. 

Naruto didn’t look up at her when he spoke, “Do you see anything?” 

Hinata activated her byakugan and took in everything about the enemy from his unusual flow of chakra to the purple dust that swirled around him, unseeing to the naked eye. 

“It’s the same as with the scroll, there’s some sort of purple substance around him,” Hinata answered after a while. 

Naruto gave a slow nod, then tilted his head. What could that mean? What was this substance used for? What did the substance have to do with this strange jutsu they’d used on Sasuke? The questions piled up in his head, and when Shikamaru looked down at him, Naruto realized he must be thinking the same things. 

“I’m here,” Ino announced when she arrived next. She appeared in a crouched position beside Shikamaru, and stood straight to observe the unknown man. The man looked up when she appeared and there was something in his eye that changed. They all noticed it, along with the way his arms flexed and twitched under his binding. He was afraid. 

“Yamanaka Ino,” he grunted out her name, and the blonde kunoichi narrowed her eyes in response. “Such a pleasure to meet you.” 

“The pleasure’s all mine,” she said with little bite in her voice. She walked up and stood a foot away. He sat up straight and leaned back as far as he could. It seemed as if he knew what she was about to do. 

Ino reached out to touch the man’s forehead while he said through a sneer, “You do realize, even if you know what his plans are, it’s already too late.” 

Ino paused and Naruto spoke up in her stead, “What’s that supposed to mean?” 

The man’s eyes shifted from Ino to the Hokage, narrowed and sinister perfectly matched with his cocky smirk, “You think you can keep him safe for long? And what about the other one? How do you plan to protect them both?” 

Naruto balled his good hand into a fist, but otherwise gave no signs to show his distress. This man was only buying time, trying to get in their heads before they got in his. Ino wouldn’t let him get another word in. She pressed her palm to his head and pushed her chakra forward, preforming one of the last techniques her father taught her: Saiko Denshin. 

The man’s eyes rolled back and his muscles relaxed, making him appear unconscious. Ino grit her teeth, and her comrades all turned to her, curious as to what she was seeing. It was a moment before she spoke. 

“Naruto,” she said; her voice full of worry. It was the first time in a while that she’d said his given name, and it squeezed at his insides.

“What is it?” He urged when she didn’t immediately continue. 

She opened her eyes and slid her hand from the enemy’s head. He remained unconscious, likely due to the amount of chakra she’d used to extract the information. Her shoulders looked heavy, but her eyes were determined when they landed on her Hokage. 

“Everyone needs to hear this.” 

 

* * *

 

They left the prisoner with an ANBU team guarding him. Even so, they suspected he would be unconscious for a while. 

In the Hokage’s chambers Kakashi, Ino, Sai, Shikamaru, Sakura, and Hinata gathered around where Naruto sat at his desk. Shino, Chouji, Rock Lee, and Yamato stood at the back. A group of ANBU specialist stood at another corner of the office. Everyone’s eyes were focused on their Hokage, half wondering what was happening that would cause for all these ninja to be summoned, and others anxious to know what their kunoichi had found in the mysterious shinobi’s head. 

Naruto cleared his throat before he began, “I’ve called everyone here to address an S-Rank mission we will all be tasked to undertake.” 

The room remained silent. All stood upright as they were briefed on the current situation. 

“Uchiha-san’s been taken to another world? Like Kaguya…?” Lee was the first to question, and Naruto shook his head. 

“It’s different. We don’t fully know how they did it, but Ino has found something out that she needs to share with everyone.” 

After that, all eyes silently turned to Ino.  

She gave it a moment, before she announced, “They’re building a tunnel.” 

Naruto’s eyes widened. It wasn’t what he was expecting to hear, and by the grumbles that erupted around the room, he wasn’t the only one caught off guard. 

“A tunnel?” Naruto questioned. 

She nodded, looking between them, “Why would they choose Sasuke-kun? Why him and not any other shinobi? And why not just kill him?” 

“They don’t want him dead.” Shikamaru answered. 

“They needed a shinobi with an incredible amount of chakra, equal to a jinchūriki, but without actually being one. Sasuke was the only one. And they want to use it, his chakra, to connect our world with the other.” 

Kakashi’s lazy voice cut in next, “Our friend was reporting to someone when I found him. They were talking about taking his head.” 

“They want what’s inside it. A bridge using Sasuke’s immense chakra to create a pathway between the two worlds,” Ino explained, sounding horrified. 

The things she saw in that man’s head were too much to repeat. The way this jutsu tore people apart; those who didn’t have enough chakra to withstand it. The way it turned them inside out. Imaging Sasuke in the same boat was enough to make her stomach drop to her knees. The weight of this mission they’d begun became a lot heavier than when it was figuring out a way to reverse a strange technique. Now, it wasn’t just Sasuke they had to save. It was their world that was at risk. Sasuke is just the catalyst for this hidden clan’s destruction. 

“Ino,” Shikamaru snapped her from her thoughts, her haggard expression causing everyone to turn their eyes on her in a mixture of worry and silent understanding. 

Naruto’s eyes widened. Could something like that really be possible? 

“Where’s Sasuke-kun now?” Hinata asked, and Naruto’s eyes drifted to her.

“He’s with Boruto and Sarada. I asked them to keep him company,” Sakura explained, and then her eyes widened. 

“We should go,” Sai spoke up.

Naruto stood with a firm nod and looked to his allies, “Sakura, Sai, Shikamaru.” 

The three straightened their backs and nodded with him. 

Naruto looked back at the others, “Please be cautious and wait for your orders.” 

And with that, the four disappeared. 

 

* * *

 

“Am I doing it?” Sasuke asked, while Sarada and Boruto crouched in front of him. 

Sarada tilted her head, “Yes, but…” she wasn’t quite sure what to say. She’d seen her father’s sharingan, and it was usually much different than her own, the symbols reflecting the different trials and paths he’s been on that allowed him to obtain such a powerful technique. But now, there was only a single swirl, indicating the same lack of circumstance her own sharingan possessed. 

“But what?” He asked, sounding clipped and half wanting to push them away because they were a bit too close. 

“It’s not the same,” Boruto answered matter-of-factly. Sasuke glared at him for it. 

“How the hell is that?” 

“Because _you’re_ not the same, Uchiha-kun,” an unfamiliar voice answered. Sasuke didn’t immediately react, but when he saw the way Boruto and Sarada tensed, he realized he was in danger. 

He closed his eyes, because he wasn’t actually expecting anyone to try to attack him, and this dream-world was already freaky enough without the real threat of eminent death. 

Sarada and Boruto jumped up. With a quick sign four more of Boruto appeared and Sasuke allowed himself a second to be amazed. 

“You can make more than one?” He said in a low voice to himself, and struggled to get up with only one hand. 

He stood behind the two kids, feeling ridiculous that they were guarding him and were half his size. A whirl of purple mist appeared first, pushing a gust of wind in their direction that forced them to cover their faces. 

When they were able to look back again a woman stood in the middle of the field. Her black hair was long enough to reach the backs of her knees. Her make-up was unusual. A red line ran down from the bottom lids of her eyes to her chin. Her lips were painted a sparkling purple. Her outfit was a simple purple dress, short, tight, and strapped with a circular, spiked weapon that hung low on her back.

“Uchiha Sasuke, it’s an honor,” she stepped forward and gave them all a deep bow. Sarada pulled out a kunai and held it in defense up to her face. The woman noticed, and slowly straightened with a wide smile. “Ohoho, baby Uchiha,” she looked from Sarada to Boruto, “And the Prince of Konoha.” 

Sasuke looked between the two kids, lingering on one of the Boruto clones for a moment when he noticed it’s fingers twitching. 

“I don’t want to have to kill you all,” she grinned, and plucked the circular weapon from it’s strap and held it out to them as if it were a peace offering. “Why not just hand him over?”

“As if!” Boruto answered for them, then the five of them charged ahead, leaving Sarada to stand in defense in front of Sasuke. Sasuke was left in awe, watching as the different Boruto’s took their positions, aiming for different areas and then all striking at once.

It ended in a flash. She grabbed one of them by the neck and squeezed hard. While that Boruto was struggling, the clones poof-ed away, leaving the real one to slowly suffocate at her hand. 

She lowered him until his face was level with hers. Her purple eyes glistened while she watched him struggle in her grasp. 

Sasuke’s heart was racing, and the palm of his hand felt clammy, so he opened and closed it into a fist while he tried to wrap his head around the situation. His dark eyes darted to Sarada who was still standing there with her kunai and to Sasuke’s horror, trembling as if she were seconds from collapsing in fear. What happened to the girl with the bravado he’d seen before while they were training? 

Was this for real? Was this woman really going to kill them? 

“Hey,” Sasuke whispered and Sarada peeked back at him. “Do something. He’s going to die,” he nodded towards where Boruto was still struggling. He didn’t know how long he’d have before the boy’s body gave out, and that was just not something he was prepared to see. 

“I can’t do that, papa,” she shook her head and he glared. 

“He’s your friend, right? You’ve got to help him. I’ll be alright.” Sasuke urged, because Boruto had just tried something with his hand and now the woman was pinning him, face down digging into the ground. He had to wonder why this woman was toying with him so much. He tried not to think about it, because right now he just wanted Sarada to go out there and do something, dammit.

Sarada glared back, a bit meekly, and shook her head again. “I have to stay here and protect you.” 

“Get real! He’s going to get killed out there.” Sasuke was sweating now. The way Boruto screamed when the woman pressed him further into the ground was enough to shake all of his nerves. “Dammit,” he grit out and before he’d fully built up the nerve, he pushed past Sarada. 

“Wait!” She called out, startled as he zipped by her towards Boruto. 

The woman looked up and her grin widened. If Sasuke wasn’t so focused on getting her off of Boruto, he would realize how incredibly stupid he was being. But, he had to do something. Watching Boruto like this was so much like watching Naruto get crushed before his eyes, and he couldn’t bear it. 

But just as he got close and the woman had lifted her circular weapon, a golden blur appeared. Seconds later the woman went flying from a powerful kick. 

Sasuke stumbled to the ground beside Boruto, who was coughing and grabbing at his sore neck. Sasuke patted him on the back, while looking up at Naruto in amazement. He was glowing in his orange and black gear. The cape he adorned looked more like a bright flame. Naruto slowly sat his foot down and stood up straight before he looked down into Sasuke’s bewildered eyes. 

Sakura appeared beside them and immediately tended to Boruto’s injuries. Sasuke stared for a moment at the blue light glowing from Sakura’s hands, seeping into the bruises around Boruto’s neck. When Naruto spoke Sasuke snapped his head to stare into those blue eyes that were so similar to the ones he fell in love with. 

“What?” Sasuke asked, because he hadn’t caught what had been said. The flames were gone, and with him looking so normal again, Sasuke wondered if he’d imaged that glowing light. 

Naruto crouched down to Sasuke’s eye level and gave him a reassuring smile, “Are you two okay?” 

Sasuke nearly whimpered and, without giving it much thought, threw his arm around Naruto’s shoulders. He pulled the shocked Naruto into a tight embrace and buried his face into the crook of Naruto’s neck. 

Naruto’s face had gone red, and he did his best to avoid Sakura’s scrutinizing eyes while he awkwardly patted Sasuke on the back.

Sasuke seemed to have calmed down after a few short breaths. He let go of Naruto as if he hadn’t even registered what he’d done and looked to where the woman had flown. Billows of smoke still puffed from where she had landed. He looked back into Naruto’s eyes and swallowed the heavy lump in his throat. 

Naruto coughed into his fist. His face was still red, but he ignored it in favor of looking out for a potential counter attack.

Sai appeared next with Sarada close to his side, “She’s gone.” 

Naruto nodded, having expected such. The blue light emanating from Sakura’s hands dissipated. Boruto was stirring, struggling to sit up. She helped him and Sarada bent down to assist her.  

Sasuke did his best to stand on his own, and looked off, embarrassed because he felt more useless at this moment than he had in his whole life. What would’ve happened if Naruto hadn’t shown up? He would’ve charged in and what? Would she have killed all of them? 

Naruto’s hand on his shoulder took him from his thoughts. He looked over and into Naruto’s encouraging blue eyes, and felt his muscles relax. 

Sai looked between them for a moment before he cut their shared silence, “You charged in on your own. You would’ve died if we hadn’t shown up.” Sai spoke in a matter-of-fact tone that made Sasuke’s blood boil. When Sasuke turned to him with a glare, Sai’s “kind” smile made him falter. 

Sakura sent Sai a sharp glare, which the pale man simply shrugged at. After a few lingering seconds, Sakura slowly turned her head to face Sasuke’s, and with soft eyes and a kind smile she said, “Don’t mind him. You did well, Sasuke-kun.” 

 

* * *

 

_Tokyo_

Sasuke could feel the involuntary twitch in his right eye, accompanied by the pain in his jaw as he ground his teeth together. 

Naruto had woken up with a litany of emotions. As soon as he’d seen Sasuke entered with his crutches, he looked like he was ready to cry. He’d sprung out of bed and wrapped his arms around Sasuke’s shoulders. Then when Sasuke’s attempts to push him away failed, with only one good leg to stand on, he’d resorted to the only method he could think of. 

He grabbed onto Naruto’s hair and pulled back as hard as he could with the idiots arms still around him. Naruto hissed and finally let go. Sasuke’s face was red. He cleared his throat and took an awkward step back, his crutches making the action look much more challenging than it should. 

Confusion took over the blond next when Itachi entered the room, face serious and police badge ever present. 

They instructed Naruto to sit back on the bed so that they could fully explain the situation. It wasn’t until they’d started talking about ninjas that Naruto started laughing. 

“This again?” He asked while he wiped the dry tears from his eyes. “Sasuke this is—.” Whatever joke he’d wanted to make out of this was cut short when Naruto’s eyes drifted to Itachi’s serious ones. 

Itachi wasn’t one for jokes. While Sasuke wasn’t particularly the comedian type, it wouldn’t be too far fetched for Sasuke to try to pull his leg, even in this serious of a situation. The bastard. But, Itachi was born middle-aged. It was one of the reasons the brothers didn’t get along. So, seeing him stand by Sasuke in this moment while Sasuke spoke about this fairy tale land was daunting. The fact that he wasn’t recommending getting Sasuke committed was even more alarming. 

“Wait…” Naruto croaked, eyes wide and looking between the two brothers. “You’re serious?” 

“I am,” Sasuke confirmed and Naruto let out a shaky breath. 

Naruto looked to Itachi again, trying to get some sort of reasoning, “Itachi, I mean… come on…” Naruto pleaded, mouth twitching upward, showing his forced attempt at keeping the mood lighthearted. 

“You and I both know my little brother,” Itachi started, tone serious and eyes unwavering. “He is a lot of things, but he isn’t a killer.” 

Sasuke’s dark eyes slid to Itachi and it took a lot out of him to mask the hurt there. Even so, the irony of those words was almost laughable. 

Naruto’s laugh stopped him from letting his thoughts drift to darker places. 

“Oh my God,” Naruto blurted, his laugh turning into something a bit hysterical while it was clear that his mind was rushing to piece things together. He stopped laughing, chuckling sadly now when his eyes met Sasuke’s again, “So you’re not…” the words came out almost like a whimper. And there it was again, this sharp emotional pang that shouldn’t be there just because Naruto was looking at him like his heart was breaking. 

“I’m not,” was Sasuke’s short reply to that, fighting the unnatural instinct to hobble over and coddle the idiot. 

“Oh,” was Naruto’s weak response, voice quiet and distant now. Naruto’s bright blue eyes paled and shifted around the room, as if he couldn’t bare the sight of Sasuke, the man he’d thought of as his lover. 

The air between them became stiff. Sasuke could feel the heart inside him squeezing the breath out of his lungs, making his skin feel numb and the lids of his eyes prickle. Something was breaking, and it had nothing to do with who he was in Konoha, and everything to do with this strange world he’d been brought into.

 

* * *

  

_Konohagakure_

Once Boruto was mostly healed, Sakura had taken him and Sarada to the Uzumaki house. Sai led a group of ANBU in to investigate the area, while Naruto had taken Sasuke back to the Uchiha Estate. 

In a flash they were back in the main room. 

As soon as they appeared, Sasuke pushed away from Naruto without really meaning to. 

Something flashed in Naruto’s eyes then, and Sasuke had nearly missed it. Even so, however obvious it was, neither of them commented on it. 

Sasuke closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths. His heart hadn’t quite settled since the woman has approached. 

“Are you okay?” Naruto asked, coming closer, but looking hesitant. Sasuke opened his eyes and looked over at him, his eyes narrowed into a glare but missing the heat that Naruto usually saw in them. 

“No,” Sasuke spoke evenly. Naruto swallowed and nodded. 

He hadn’t told Sasuke this story, and he wouldn’t mention it now. But, the more he watched Sasuke collect himself the more it felt like they were twelve again, and Zabuza was dangling the very real possibility of death in their faces. This Sasuke, looking haggard and spooked from the minor encounter moments ago, was an eerily nostalgic thing. 

“I told you I’d protect you.” Naruto said before he could think about what those words really meant in this situation. 

Sasuke let out a breathy laugh and shook his head, “Always the fucking hero.” It was scathing, but Naruto didn’t appear too affected by it. 

“I won’t let—.”

“Me die,” Sasuke finished for him and nodded, “Right, got it. Does this…” Sasuke took another breath, keeping his composure as cool and collected as was possible given the circumstances. “Does that type of thing happen a lot? People coming to kill me—him?” 

Naruto nodded, “I wouldn’t be surprised. We don’t see each other that often though.” He shrugged.  

Sasuke leveled Naruto with an even stare, thinking his words over for a moment before saying, “I thought you said we were best friends?” 

Naruto laughed here, and Sasuke wasn’t sure what was so funny. _“Best friends”_ were Naruto’s words after all. “Yeah well, you didn’t always think so.” 

Sasuke nodded, and when it felt like he wouldn’t say anything else he surprised Naruto by saying, “He was an idiot.” 

Naruto blinked up at him, “What?” 

“Your Sasuke. He was an idiot to not fall in love with you.” 

Naruto flushed, because really, what else could he do there? Other than walk up and run his hands through that dark, rustled hair, or feather their lips together the way he’d been thinking about doing since he’d seen Sasuke risk his life to save his son. 

He cleared his throat and looked away, because he was seconds away from feeding into these strange desires that this Sasuke had awakened in days. Feelings and impulses that he hadn’t even realized existed with the Sasuke he’d known for years. 

Sasuke was gazing at him now, in that way that was so not like the Sasuke Naruto grew up knowing. He was looking at him the way Hinata looked at him. He was looking at him the way Naruto used to look at Sakura. 

“Did you love him?” Sasuke asked, and it was like a bucket of cold water being poured over Naruto’s head. 

Naruto snapped out of it and turned away from Sasuke completely. 

He slowly peeked back, and Sasuke was still staring, patient and determined. 

After a moment Naruto’s lips parted, and he looked like he might have answered, but Kakashi appeared in the center of the home, looking unbothered while his eyes drifted over the contents of one of those perverted books he carried around. 

“Yo,” Kakashi said smoothly with a raised hand. 

Sasuke glared at him, mostly for the interruption, but also because he simply didn’t care for the old pervert. 

Naruto’s face turned from the blushing mess it had been, to the stern face of a commander when he’d regarded Kakashi’s sudden appearance. 

Once Naruto’s eyes were on him, Kakashi jumped right in, “As we’d assumed, that kunoichi was one of them.” 

“Did they find her?” Naruto asked, and Kakashi simply shook his head. 

Seconds later the rest of the group, at least those that Sasuke had taken note of: Shikamaru, Sai, Ino and Sakura, appeared. 

Sasuke swayed, a pool of exhaustion rushing through him. Naruto noticed first, but Sakura was the one to speak up. 

“You look tired. You should get some rest.” 

It was early in the afternoon, and yet Sasuke felt seconds away from wiping out. He didn’t want to rest just yet, but he could tell there wasn’t much he could do to fight the way his body was feeling now. 

So, instead of protesting, Sasuke slowly nodded. He offered her a small smile, then drifted away to the room. He tried to ignore the feeling of everyone’s eyes on his back as he went. 

 

* * *

 

He’d woken up later that afternoon. It didn’t look as though anyone had come in to disturb him while he rested and for that he was grateful. 

After a quick stretch he was sat at the edge of the bed and stared at the dark wall in front of him. He could hear them out in the main room talking in low voices, likely about him and this trip of a _situation_. It was surprising that they were still at it, but he could imagine their struggle to come up with a way out of this. 

He didn’t care. Anything they had to say about jutsu or chakra or enemy shinobi wasn’t something he could quite keep up with at the moment. So he sat on the bed and stared at the wall opposite of him, not bothering to flick on a light to illuminate the room from the growing darkness of the setting sun. It was calming, allowing him to relax his body that had been spent from the earlier rush of adrenaline. 

This isn’t his world. This isn’t his life. And, most importantly, this isn’t a dream. All of these things were made so glaringly obvious after this day. Watching Boruto nearly get the life squeezed out of him, Naruto and his unbelievable strength, and that woman who could have killed them all, there was no doubt that the situation he was in was indeed terrifying. He could die, and there’s no telling what would happen to him, or the other Sasuke who was presumably inhabiting his body and life. 

For the first time since he’d woken up in this world, he felt incredibly anxious for not only himself, but for the other man whose life he’d taken over. If the Sasuke from this world is who they say he is, then what is he doing in his world; the real world? Was he pretending to be him, or did he tell Naruto about this world full of ninjas and magic? 

He shook his head, effectively shaking these thoughts from his mind. Mulling over things he couldn’t change wasn’t the solution. 

After a moment, he closed his eyes and was able to drown out the sounds of their voices, finding a peaceful quiet that allowed him to come to terms with everything that has been going on. He would get out of this. He had to. He was strong, with or without these strange abilities, he’s always been strong. He needed to find a way out, and the only way to do it was to…

 _“So you’re not?”_ Naruto’s voice fleeted into him as if he was speaking from beneath the surface. 

 _“I’m not.”_ Was that his voice? 

_“How… What do we do now?”_

Sasuke blinked his eyes open once, twice, and a third time before his eyes grew increasingly wide. 

“What is this?” He whispered, because what he was looking at was incredible. 

Naruto was sitting on a hospital bed looking at him. It was all he could see, those blue eyes staring back at him as if it was through a TV screen. And they weren’t the eyes of a village leader, fearless ninja, or father, they were _his_ Naruto’s eyes. Pure, blue and simple. 

But then something happened. The Naruto through this strange screen screamed and pointed at him. The image became shaky. 

Then it was gone. 

Sasuke blinked. An intense headache pricked and pulsed at his brain. He clenched his teeth and grabbed onto his forehead. 

“Naruto!” He called out through a painful wail. 

 

* * *

 

_Tokyo_

“What was that!?” Naruto shouted after letting out a scream that was ear splitting. He was backing away in the hospital bed, while Sasuke was suddenly struggling to stand straight on his crutches. 

Itachi came to his side and helped support his weight so that he wouldn’t fall to the ground. 

God, his head was killing him. It was nauseating. 

“Sasuke,” Itachi spoke calmly, and Sasuke shakily turned his head to meet his gaze. “What was that?” 

“What was what?” Sasuke grit out, pain still stinging the backs of his eyes, making it near impossible to keep them open. 

“Your eye,” Naruto pointed again, seemingly a bit more calm and instinctively worried about Sasuke looking like he might pass out. “It was moving and the whole thing. It was… I don’t know. It changed color.” Naruto stammered out, and Sasuke, with his eyes squeezed shut and teeth grinding, was just barely able to piece together what he’d meant. 

“What did it look like?” Sasuke said after a second. The pain was easing up, but he still wasn’t willing to open his eyes just yet. 

Naruto slipped from the bed and pulled Sasuke over so that he didn’t have to struggle to stand for much longer. Sasuke hesitated, but allowed Naruto to drag him over and nearly collapsed onto the cushion the moment he’d gotten close enough to. 

It wasn’t until Sasuke was breathing evenly again that Naruto answered, “It was purple. I couldn’t really tell much else from here.” He was rubbing small circles in Sasuke’s back. Sasuke tried not to think about how comforting it was. 

Sasuke cleared his mind, and went over the different things this could mean. It wasn’t until Itachi stepped up to the bed and said, “Sasuke?” that he looked up at his brother, then at Naruto. 

“My Rinnegan.” 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading this far! Hopefully the next chapter won't take so long. But, I can't trust myself at this point ._.
> 
> I'm really glad people are commenting! All the kudos make me feel so special (for this story and others). Thanks for sticking with me, even though I'm sort of a piece of shit for my updating speed. I love y'all. Y'all the realest ~ 
> 
> Anyway, I'm excited to know what ya'll think! 
> 
> Also, Happy Halloween in advance!! 
> 
> Until next time~


	5. A Glimmer of Hope

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas guys!! My present to you: I'm posting for the first time in years!! Woo! I hope you guys enjoy this chapter update. Things are heating up, in more ways than one *smirk. 
> 
> ...
> 
> Sorry, the holiday season makes me a little stupid. Enjoy~

 

_Tokyo_

“Your what?” Naruto asked, sounding like he really didn’t want to know.

Sasuke looked at him for a moment, the pain in his head easing a bit now that the overwhelming feeling was wearing off. He looked over to Itachi and gestured for him to bring over those damnable crutches. 

Itachi did, and helped him up off the bed.

“We need to go,” Sasuke said once the crutches were secure under his arms.

Naruto stood up next, mouth open and still struggling to catch up with everything that was happening.

“They told me I should stay—“

“Don’t be an idiot. We need to get somewhere private,” was Sasuke’s immediate response. 

Naruto scrunched his nose at the insult and muttered a quiet “bastard” that wasn’t quiet enough for Sasuke to miss.

Itachi sighed and shook his head, ignoring the two in favor of taking the lead, “There are some things we should go over. I’ll smooth things over and get you discharged. As for your friend…”

“My what?” Sasuke nearly snapped, but managed to bite back the urge.

“Shikamaru. He was there with you, if you haven’t forgotten.”

He hadn’t, but he also hadn’t put much thought into the other man. 

“What about him?” Sasuke asked, because in his mind the only real option was to leave him here. 

Itachi glared at him for his disheartened response, “Shikamaru is my brother’s best friend. He was just shot at and witnessed you, the man he’s known since childhood; kill the assailant with a kitchen knife. It’s safe to say he’ll want an explanation. I’m sure _my brother_ would appreciate that as well.” 

Sasuke glared at him, because it really was gritting at his nerves to hear Itachi say “my brother”, and because he was probably right. 

Itachi glared back, expectant and unwaveringly.

Sasuke sneered and looked away when it felt like he’d already lost. “You talk too much,” Sasuke grumbled and Itachi simply scoffed at the comment.

Naruto cleared his throat and Sasuke’s dark eyes slid to meet his.

“They told me what room he was admitted to earlier when I came to see you. We should stop by and get out of here.” Naruto said boldly, and the amount of confidence in his voice shook Sasuke a bit. It reminded him so much of the shinobi leader he had been destined to be back in his world. 

Sasuke didn’t let himself get taken away by the moment. He nodded and made his way towards the door. Naruto and Itachi weren’t far behind.

 

* * *

 

Itachi left to take care of their paperwork, while Naruto and Sasuke made their way to the second floor where Shikamaru was.

In the elevator, Sasuke could feel Naruto’s eyes on him.

Sasuke sighed and spoke without looking, “Why are you staring at me?”

Naruto looked away, and then slowly looked back, “I can’t help it.”

Sasuke looked at Naruto, eyes narrowed and mouth twisted into a small frown. “What can’t you help?”

Naruto tilted his head; as if looking at Sasuke from this angle would clear things up a bit, “You’re really not him?” 

Sasuke felt his skin prickle, something about those words crawled right under his skin. He fidgeted over his crutches, trying to remain still but failing to look as unaffected as he wanted to be. 

“We’re the same, but no, I’m not _him_ ,” was the only way he could properly answer.

Naruto huffed and leaned his shoulder against the wall in the elevator. He was staring unabashedly now, observing the lines and curves of Sasuke’s body, a body he’d memorized long ago. 

“So I’m really married to a girl where you’re from? We never—?”

“Never,” Sasuke interrupted quickly just as the doors slid open.

They stepped out, both feeling a bit unsettled. Sasuke pushed the feeling to the side as he made his way to the end of the hall where room 201B was. 

Naruto fell in step beside him; still sending little peeks his way.

When they got to the room, it was empty. The sheets were tossed around and what looked to be Shikamaru’s shoes were the only personal items left in the room.

They backed out of the room and looked at each other. A similar thought crossed their mind.

Just then, a nurse came wheeling a cart down the hall and Naruto stepped in front of her before she had the chance to get by. 

She stopped, startled for a moment, then blinked up at him. 

“Uhm, yes? Sorry. Can I help you?” She smiled and he mirrored her kind expression.

“Yeah, my friend was staying in this room. Do you know where he is?”

The nurse looked around his shoulder at the empty room, eyes scrunched. She walked around and lifted up the chart hanging by the door.

“Nara Shikamaru-san, right?” She looked back and both men nodded.

She went over the chart again and hummed as she read over the information, “It doesn’t look like he was discharged. He was brought here because he felt nauseous. Maybe he’s in the bathroom.” She sat the chart back down and smiled, “You can wait for him in the visitor’s area if you’d like.” 

Naruto grinned and shook his head, “Nah, that’s alright. Thank you.” 

She smiled and bowed at them, then walked around to her cart and began pushing again. 

Once she was gone, Naruto let out a deep breath. “Now what?” He asked, watching the nurse round the corner, before focusing his eyes on Sasuke again. 

“Do you have a phone?” Sasuke asked, looking back at Naruto with a serious expression that only served to amp up the eeriness of their current situation. 

“Uh, yeah, hold on,” Naruto dug into his pocket and pulled it out. He handed it over to Sasuke, who lifted an eyebrow at the device. “Oh, right, password,” Naruto took it back and tapped on the screen for a bit, before handing it back to Sasuke.

Sasuke glared at it. What the hell kind of phone is this? He didn’t know what most of these pictures were, buttons maybe? He tapped his thumb on the screen as a test and nearly dropped the device when a video started playing. 

Naruto’s lips twisted in an attempt to tamper down a laugh. He looked over Sasuke’s shoulder to see that he’d got on social media and that there was a video playing of two women dancing poorly in their living room. 

Naruto snickered and reached around to click out of the app. They stayed in silence for a moment, Sasuke obviously unsure of what to do, and Naruto doing his best not to laugh in his face.

“You don’t know how to use that, do you?” Naruto asked and Sasuke immediately flushed. The urge to crush the strange phone in his hand was more prevalent than ever.

“Whatever,” Sasuke grumbled and held the device up to Naruto, “Call him.”

Naruto blinked, the humor in his eyes being replaced by confusion. “Call who?”

Sasuke glared, because this Naruto couldn’t be that stupid. He nodded his head towards the empty room, and Naruto made an “o” with his mouth. 

A few quick taps on the screen and Shikamaru’s name was up. Naruto placed the phone on speaker and they could hear the dial tone ringing.

On the third ring it answered.

There was nothing at first, so Naruto held the phone up closer and Sasuke leaned forward to listen in.

They could hear the light sound of someone breathing. And then, Naruto spoke into the receiver, “Shika, is that you?” 

Nothing right away

Naruto pulled the phone away from them, and narrowed his eyes at it. He’d figured Shikamaru had answered with his butt, and was going to hang up and call again. But, right before he’d pressed the “end” button a voice came through the line. 

“A life for a life.” 

And then the line went dead. Naruto’s eyes widened and Sasuke grit his teeth. 

“Fuck,” Sasuke hissed. 

Naruto tried calling Shikamaru’s number again and it went straight to voicemail. 

“Don’t bother,” Sasuke said when Naruto went to try again. 

“W-what does that mean? Did you hear that?”

“Don’t freak out,” Sasuke all but commanded. It stopped Naruto from started up a pace, but it didn’t completely quell his anxiety.

Naruto gripped at his hair and pulled, unable to comprehend everything at once. This was all happening too fast.

“Naruto.” Naruto whipped his head to face Sasuke, “I said, don’t freak out. He’s probably still alive.” 

“Probably?!” Naruto demanded. Sasuke walked off with his crutches and Naruto followed after him with frantic strides. 

“Yes well, I’m assuming they want an exchange.” 

It made sense, and it somehow took away a bit of stress to hear that. But Shikamaru was Naruto’s friend too, to think that he’d been kidnapped. 

“What do we do?” Naruto asked now that they were stopped in front of the elevator.

A second later the doors opened and they slipped inside.

Sasuke answered once the doors closed again, “Plan our attack.”

 

* * *

 

 _Konohagakure_

Sasuke tilted the hand mirror Sakura had given to him so that he could inspect his eye.

It didn’t look any different. Still the same dark circle that it had been before. 

Sakura was crouched beside where he sat on the couch, while Naruto was staring by the corner in the living room. Kakashi was there too, and he was leaned forward far too close for comfort.

Sasuke moved the mirror from his face to give the older man a dirty look before he turned to Sakura. 

“What happened to me just now?” He asked her, and Sakura looked to Naruto for the answer.

“Tell them what you saw,” Naruto urged.

Sasuke looked hesitant, but nodded after a while. “I saw Naruto. He was sitting on a hospital bed. It was like I was looking through a foggy mirror.” 

Sakura’s mouth hung open for a moment while she tried to piece together what that means. She closed her mouth and looked between the two of them. “Was it—?” She started to ask and Sasuke nodded because he knew what she wanted to say. 

“It was… he was my Naruto.”

The room fell silent for a moment while they all digested this information.

Sakura spoke up when the moment passed, “Your Rinnegan is gone again. What happens if it suddenly activates and opens up a real portal?” The thought was a bit horrific. They could potentially lose both Sasukes in that case.

“Can I do that?” Sasuke asked, trying to wrap his mind around the whole idea of teleportation. 

“We’ll have to keep a closer eye on its behavior.” Kakashi said, storing his book away and eyeing Sasuke’s appearance. “Based on today, if we want to avoid a potential attack on the village, we should move Sasuke to another, more secure location.”

Naruto nodded, “Two attacks in less than twenty four hours. We’re putting everyone else in danger.

Sakura turned to Naruto while rubbing Sasuke’s back in reassuring, small circles that actually helped to calm his nerves. Sasuke vaguely wondered if this was something she did when the _other_ Sasuke wasn’t feeling well. She asked her leader, “What’s the plan?” 

It seemed like Naruto didn’t need much time to decide. He answered almost immediately, “Kakashi and I will take Sasuke to a secure location. I need you to work with Sai and Ino on a reverse jutsu. Investigate any leads. Shikamaru will act in my stead. I’ll leave a clone here in case I’m needed.” 

Sakura nodded, eyes sharp and determined. This was game mode. But Sasuke was sure there was nothing fun about what was going to happen over the course of the next few days.

Sasuke stood from the couch and Sakura stepped in front of him. They stared into each other’s eyes, Sasuke’s perplexed and Sakura’s showing an emotion that was overwhelming to be on the receiving end. A mixture of grief, bravery, and love. 

“By the time you come back, you won’t be the same Sasuke. You’ll be back in your world and I’ll get my husband back,” Sakura said while keeping a level stare and heavy eye contact. Sasuke wasn’t quite sure if he should feel insulted or sad or both.

He was an outsider. He realized that. This woman, this beautiful woman, was the wife of this man whose body he’d possessed. And as he looked into those passionate eyes, he saw her skin underneath her clothes, he felt her chakra pour into him, and he felt them rolling around in a dark field, grabbing at each other, desperate and painful. It made him feel dizzy.

“Yeah,” he said as his eyes landed on Naruto’s sharp eyes. “Take care of yourself.”

Sakura huffed out a short laugh and touched his turned face with a hand, surprisingly soft for one that had seen countless battles.

“You too,” she said just before she disappeared. 

Sasuke swallowed, trying to take the sudden emotions down with him.

Naruto stepped up, and it helped get him away from these feelings that were so unfamiliar.

“We should go,” Naruto said.

“Right,” Kakashi spoke up next then turned to Sasuke. “You should pack a bag.” 

Sasuke looked to the older man and nodded, then headed to the bedroom to find a bag and a few changes of clothes. 

Naruto followed him into the room while he was stuffing his third pair of pants into an old travel bag. 

“Where are we going anyway?” Sasuke asked and stuffed a shirt in this time. 

Naruto sat beside the bag on the bed, his eyes focused on something on the other side of the room.

After a long moment, Sasuke still didn’t get an answer. He’d packed all the clothes he could find and zipped up the bag. He looked down at it, then at Naruto who was still staring across the room. He followed his line of vision and caught sight of a framed photograph hanging on the wall there.

He walked over to it and focused on the image. He’d seen it in passing a few times before, but he had yet to really look at it. A group photo. Three children, obviously himself, Naruto and Sakura. The man standing above them, a hand on both boys’ heads was Kakashi, eyes closed and appearing to be smiling underneath his mask. 

He’d almost reached out, just to touch the photo of a memory that didn’t belong to him, but he stopped short when he heard Naruto speak from behind him. “You asked me if I loved him.”

Sasuke turned to look at Naruto, who was smiling sadly and looking the other way. 

Naruto shrugged, as if what he was about to say didn’t mean anything, but it was clear as day that it meant everything to speak these words aloud. “Truth is,” he began, “I was in love with him years ago. But it didn’t make sense. He was gone and Sakura loved him since we were kids.” Naruto shook his head, “And then there was Hinata and I didn’t think about it too much anymore. Figured I was just going crazy back then, because I wanted you back so badly.” Naruto stopped and thought about that. “Him back,” he corrected.

Sasuke felt like he was choking all of a sudden. This confession, there was something so sad about it. It didn’t give him the slightest bit of the satisfaction that he’d initially thought it would.

Naruto stood and stretched his arms over his head as he spoke his next words in a much more lighthearted fashion, “We’re heading to Otogakure. It’s a long trip, so make sure to pack snacks and healing supplies.”

He left Sasuke alone in the room after that. And instead of gathering the extra supplies as Naruto said, he collapsed onto the bed and thought over the confession a thousand more times before they hit the road.

 

* * *

 

_Tokyo_

At the house Itachi instructed them to pack a bag. Wherever they were going, they couldn’t stay in this house. The enemy knew this place is where they lived and it was far too dangerous. 

Sasuke didn’t argue, and was too busy trying to figure out a way to gain the upper hand on their enemy. So far, the jutsu used on him was still a mystery; there were no clues on how he could get back to his world. His Rinnegan eye was activated but there’s no telling how that occurred and it appears that’s only something that can be controlled from the other side. The Shikamaru of this world has been kidnapped and brought to some secure location Sasuke had no clue where to start looking for. Who knows how many of them there are. Naruto was still in love with him, which was just added stress.

It was beyond irritating to be in this situation that he could barely wrap his head around. And to top it off, Naruto wouldn’t stop fucking staring at him.

“Anything you’d like to say?” Sasuke asked in his usual snappish tone, struggling to stand on one leg while he packed clothes into a duffle bag that might have belonged to him or Naruto. Naruto sat on the bed watching him, a mixture of confusion and humor on his face.

“I still can’t believe it,” Naruto admitted, crossing his legs and turning his head to get a look at Sasuke from a different angle.

“And why’s that?” Sasuke wasn’t sure why he asked; he was goading Naruto for no reason now. Maybe the stress of the situation was getting to him.

“Come on,” Naruto scoffed out an incredulous laugh. “Another world? Someone _ninja’d_ your conscious into my Sasuke’s body, an eye that opens portals? I mean, this is straight from one of those young adult novels.”

Sasuke stopped his packing and turned to look at Naruto, his eyes narrowed and a hand on his hip. “Your friend being kidnapped is very real.”

Naruto nodded, smile falling from his face now, “Yeah, I know. So I have no choice to believe it. Not to mention you’re…”

Sasuke looked taken aback. He raised an eyebrow, “I’m what?” 

“You’re definitely not the same,” Naruto shrugged. “I mean, since you were in the hospital a few days back, I’ve been wondering what’s up with you. You’re like… a completely different person.”

Sasuke swallowed. He wasn’t sure why those words rubbed him the wrong way. It was true, so true that Sasuke should be scoffing and shaking his head. They weren’t the same, but it was something about the way Naruto said it. There was disappointment and sadness that Sasuke wasn’t ready for. It made him feel defensive, even if he knew it was unwarranted.

“My Sasuke was no cup of tea, but we loved each other. That was for sure,” Naruto continued, and Sasuke was starting to get annoyed.

“Why don’t we focus on the mission? I don’t need to hear about how much you and him _loved_ each other.” Sasuke shuddered and shoved another pair of pants into the bag. 

He paused again when he realized Naruto was smiling like he wanted to laugh at him. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair in frustration.

“What now?” Sasuke asked and Naruto shrugged.

“It’s just funny. You know, you’re the one that came onto me?”

“What?” Sasuke snapped this time. This moron was seriously pushing his buttons. He was nearing the last straw. 

Naruto shrugged and Sasuke all but growled at him.

“Don’t say such idiotic things. I’m not him, got it?” He finished shoving in the last bit of clothing that could fit and harshly zipped the bag closed. He was about to throw the strap of the bag over his shoulder and walk out when something caught his eye.

There was a book peeking out from under the bed. He could only see a part of the image on the cover, but it was enough for him to slide the book out so that he could see it in its entirety.

“What is this?” Sasuke asked; his temper cooled down now. The image on the book revealed itself to be a man with his legs crossed. Blue swirls of light were highlighted on sections of the body that Sasuke recognized as chakra points. 

“Oh, that was a gift for my birthday.” Naruto answered, moving closer to get a better look at it. 

Sasuke looked to him with his eyebrow rose, “You bought this for yourself?”

Naruto’s nostrils flared and his lips turned downwards, “No. Why would I? It was a gift from my cousin.”

“Who?” Sasuke asked, impatiently this time.

Naruto balked at his tone, but answered nonetheless, “Karin.” He’d said the name as if he didn’t really want to, but at the sound of it, Sasuke’s eyes widened considerably. 

“Karin gave you this?” Sasuke asked, his voice distant now.

Naruto snorted at the name, looking a bit irritated now, “Yeah. Why?”

“This is a book on chakra distribution. So it does exist in your world,” Sasuke said, the last part more to himself. He looked off, mind working out this new information.

So that attempt at his Chidori, is it possible he’d be able to gather more chakra, create a stronger charge. Is it possible that they could fight back?

“Look, she gave me that cause she’s really into weird stuff like _chakras_ and _reading energy_.” Naruto shook his head at the thought.

“She can harness chakra?” Sasuke asked and Naruto gave him another strange look as if he tasted something sour.

“Maybe? I’m not even really sure what that means.” Naruto grumbled. “She spent a whole year in the mountains, came back totally weird. I don’t know if she can actually do that whole… chakra thing…”

Sasuke was getting annoyed again, but he kept his cool while he explained, “If she knows anything about chakra manipulation and the way it works in this world we have an actual chance. Don’t you get that? I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t important, idiot,” Sasuke muttered the last part.

Naruto’s eye twitched at the insult, but he ignored it. “I’d really rather leave her out of this.” Naruto shook his head to exaggerate his statement.

Sasuke eyed him, “Why? They’re not going to kidnap everyone you know. If she can—.”

“Look, Karin and I fell out a while ago. I haven’t spoken to her in a long time. Isn’t there anyone else we could go to?”

“I need to test this theory. If you’re going to be an infant then you can stay here. No use in bringing you along if you’re going to complain about something as frivolous as a ‘falling out’ and I don’t have time for your idiotic reasoning.”

Naruto made a face and crossed his arms; “You’re way more of an asshole than my Sasuke.”

He turned to Naruto, eyes narrowed once again and arms crossed, mimicking Naruto’s.

“Clearly I’m a lot smarter than _your Sasuke_ if he settled on being with you.”

Naruto gasped and his arms fell slack. It was like Sasuke had pulled back and slapped him right across the face. It took him a moment to process the words, a long enough moment for Sasuke to feel the inkling of regret that clawed at his chest.

Naruto cleared his throat and stood up. “Whatever,” he grumbled and walked out without a second glance.

Sasuke sighed and wrangled a hand through his short hair, hair that he still wasn’t quite used too. He hated this feeling, like he’d messed up, like Naruto’s wounded puppy act had any affect on him. It was an irritating and useless feeling. So unlike him and yet the need to run to Naruto was as natural of an instinct as eating and drinking. 

He grabbed the bag and threw the strap around his shoulder, then placed his crutches under his arms.

It didn’t matter, he decided. He would get out of this world, and this stupid feeling would go away. 

Once he entered the living room, Itachi immediately stood. Naruto didn’t look his way, and was glaring out the window by the wall filled with gunshots. The living room was still a mess, with it’s tipped over couch and bullet filled walls and furniture. Fluff from the couch was littering the floor while the dried blood from both Sasuke and the assailant practically ruined it.

“Show me,” Sasuke said, tearing his eyes away from the damage to address his brother. 

Itachi’s eyes narrowed for a moment before he realized what Sasuke was referring to. He pulled the scroll out and hesitated when Sasuke held his hand out for it.

“What is it?” Itachi asked, holding the scroll inches away from Sasuke’s hand.

“There’s likely a powerful technique stored in that scroll, something that could kill us all or incapacitate us.” Sasuke explained and yet didn’t budge.

Itachi’s eyes moved from Sasuke to the scroll, then back to Sasuke. He wasn’t sure if he could believe those words, but cautiously put the scroll in Sasuke’s hand.

Sasuke knelt down with it, and Naruto stopped his sulking long enough to walk over and peek over Sasuke’s shoulder to see what he was doing.

He unclipped the scroll and rolled it out on the floor. His eyes narrowed at the script, it was vaguely familiar, something he’d encountered a while back during his travels. However, he couldn’t decipher it, and it made him grit his teeth in irritation.

“What does that say?” Naruto asked from above him and Sasuke stopped himself from snapping at him again.

“I’m not sure,” he answered honestly instead.

“You said it was a technique?” Itachi inquired while he tried to piece together how this item that looked like a cheap gift from the tourist shop could be some kind of powerful technique.

“Yes, but if I can’t read it, then I won’t be able to use it. I wouldn’t have the chakra to anyway,” he grumbled and rolled the scroll back up. He stood up with it and tucked it away in his back pocket. “Can you take me to Karin?” he asked Naruto and Naruto tilted his head in confusion.

“Uh, yeah, why?” He wasn’t sure what his crazy cousin had to do with any of this. “Shouldn’t we be focusing on finding Shikamaru? Can’t the police do anything?” Naruto looked to Itachi. 

“I’ve already informed my unit of the situation. We’ve filed a Missing Persons. Their looking on their end, but if this has anything to do with ninjas and magic, it’s best if we leave them out of it,” Itachi explained and Naruto immediately deflated.

Sasuke added in, “If the Karin in this world is anything like the Karin in mine, she might be able to help us.” 

“Your cousin?” Itachi asked, looking to Naruto for answers. Naruto shrugged and looked away, obviously still fuming.

Sasuke ignored the look, replacing the bag over his shoulder. “Lets move out,” he eyed Naruto once more and wasn’t sure why he did it. He ignored the feeling and the strange urge to grab Naruto’s hand, and walked towards the door.

 

* * *

 

_Konohagakure_

Sasuke was winded after three hours of travel. He slowed to a stop, breathing hard and bent over with his hand on his knee. Naruto stopped beside him, looking like he’d just gone for an evening stroll and completely unaffected by the high speed running and hopping from tree to tree.

He rubbed Sasuke’s back and knelt down beside him. “You’re using too much chakra. If you don’t disperse it evenly, you’ll burn yourself out.” Naruto explained and Sasuke glared at him.

“Well…” he said between deep breaths, “I’m not… fucking used to this…” Naruto winced at the words. Sasuke pushed him away and fell back onto his butt. He couldn’t go any further. 

Kakashi appeared next to them a second later. “Naruto’s right, Other-kun. It’ll take days to get there if we keep moving at this rate.” 

Sasuke glared up at him and sent him the middle finger. Kakashi smiled at it from beneath his mask. 

“Hey,” Naruto grabbed Sasuke’s hand and pulled it down, bringing his attention back. “It’s okay, we can rest for now.” He said and Sasuke heard him but was focusing way to hard on Naruto’s hand around his. Those words Naruto spoke while they were in the room were still haunting him and Sasuke didn’t know why. He couldn’t place this feeling. It was as if he’d really been married, as if he really had a kid, and as if Naruto had only ever been his best friend and he was being confessed to for the first time. 

But that wasn’t true, was it? Naruto was the love of his life. Even now, while Naruto held onto his hand for way too long, all he wanted to do was lean in and kiss him until he couldn’t feel his lips anymore. 

“I suppose I’ll leave you two to gaze into each other’s eyes.” Kakashi said in a sly tone, and then promptly disappeared as Naruto quickly let go of Sasuke’s hand. 

“Sorry,” Naruto said, standing abruptly and taking a few steps back. 

Sasuke sighed; he wasn’t even sure how to react. Not to Naruto, or to Kakashi’s words, or to the fact that they were out in the woods in the middle of nowhere. 

“We’ll set up camp here. I’ll go gather some supplies,” Naruto said, only slightly breaking the tension between them. Sasuke looked up and nodded. Naruto just stared at him for a moment before walking off into the woods.

 

* * *

 

Sasuke had never been camping. He’d never spent a night in the woods and he’d never slept on the cold, hard ground before. The noise was unbearable, crickets and beetles and who knows what else chattering together in the night and in their tint Naruto was still awake. It was only distracting because he could tell Naruto was pretending to sleep. His back was turned and he was completely still, but Sasuke had slept beside Naruto for nearing ten years and he knew for a fact that Naruto liked to sprawl and snored like a horse.

“I know you’re faking.” Sasuke finally said, while his eyes narrowed at the back of Naruto’s head. He watched as Naruto’s shoulders tensed at the words before he slowly turned to give Sasuke a weary smile. 

“What gave me away?” Naruto asked and laughed awkwardly, making Sasuke roll his eyes. 

“Your silence,” Sasuke answered and Naruto smiled sadly.

“I don’t mind sleeping outside, if you want.” Naruto said and Sasuke’s eyes narrowed into a glare.

“I’d prefer it if you stayed.” Sasuke said, his voice devoid of the emotion that was so clearly evident in those words. 

“Okay,” Naruto nodded.

They were both laying on their sides now, staring at each other, trying to figure out what the other was thinking.

Sasuke watched as Naruto’s eyes drifted down to his lips, only for a second, but long enough for Sasuke to feel the way it burned at his chest. 

“You can kiss me if you want,” he said, as if he was testing Naruto.

Naruto cleared his throat, but didn’t look as affected by the words as Sasuke assumed he would’ve been.

He wasn’t expecting Naruto to lick his lips, or for his hand to reach out and to brush over his cheek. He wasn’t expecting what Naruto said next either, or for it to hurt so badly. 

“You’re not the same Sasuke I know,” Naruto whispered, eyes staring at Sasuke now as if he were trying to understand something; a silent question he was trying to answer within himself.

“I know,” Sasuke said through the lump in his throat. “You’re not my Naruto either.” 

Naruto nodded, “Yeah. I’m not.” Neither was sure who moved closer to whom. But soon they were only inches apart.

“I love you,” Sasuke said, although he hadn’t meant to. Naruto froze, hand stiff on Sasuke’s cheek now. Sasuke continued, “So fucking much.” He laughed at that. “And I want you so badly right now that it’s killing me.” He said the last part in a whisper that went straight to Naruto’s groin. The arousal was so quick and harsh that Naruto pulled back as if he’d been stung. 

Sasuke grabbed his hand before Naruto could fully retreat, and he used it as leverage to pull himself up and over Naruto’s body. He planted his knees on each side of Naruto and stared down at him with glazed over eyes. He used his hand to pin Naruto’s by his head and leaned down without further warning. 

Naruto gasped into his mouth, unprepared for the way Sasuke kissed him this time. It wasn’t the needy or random kisses Sasuke gave him in the last few days. It was slow and purposeful, skilled in a way Naruto wouldn’t have been able to imagine. Sasuke sucked on his lips as if it were the last tangible thing on Earth. He licked at Naruto’s open mouth and groaned into it when he slipped from where he sat on Naruto’s stomach to where their arousals were pressed together beneath their pants. 

Sasuke gasped when Naruto thrust his hips forward to feel more of Sasuke. There was something about the cold breeze that seeped through the crack in the tent’s opening, mixed with the heat of their skin, clinging together that made this moment all the more electrifying. 

Naruto pushed and rolled them so that Sasuke was on his back and Naruto was trapping him against the ground.

Naruto had never felt something so chaotic and needy. Hinata was nothing like this when they get started. Tame wasn’t the right word, but patient. Sasuke was grabbing him all over. He pushed his arousal into Naruto and ground his hips in a way that said he wouldn’t allow it to be forgotten. 

And there was something about the idea of it being Sasuke. Naruto both pushed the idea to the back of his mind and held onto it for dear life. Because when he imagined how they looked: gyrating and twitching against each other, biting at lips and chins and necks, moaning into each other’s mouths and into the night, the fact that it was Sasuke; moving like this, making these noises, needing him in this way, was nearly enough to push him to his climax. 

“Fuck, Naruto…” he heard the soft groan and it encouraged him to move a bit faster, a little harder. 

This wasn’t Sasuke. It wasn’t Sasuke in his arms and yet it was. This Sasuke wanted him just as badly as Naruto was realizing he did as well. This Sasuke was whispering his name and clawing as his back to get them to feel more of each other. This Sasuke was biting his lip while Naruto pushed his cock in between Sasuke’s legs, and would shudder while Naruto rolled their hips together. He could feel the sensation coiling up. He was going to cum any second, and Sasuke was expediting the feel by grabbing at Naruto’s ass and pulling them even closer.

God, this wasn’t Sasuke but…

“I’m… shit—Naruto,” Sasuke arched his back while he tangled his hand in Naruto’s hair. Naruto attached himself to Sasuke’s neck, drawn to almost immediately once it was exposed.

“Sasuke—.” Naruto whimpered, and he realized he didn’t recognize his voice.

It only took a couple more thrusts for Naruto to finish. Sasuke may have came a second or so later, but Naruto couldn’t focus on him. Immediately, the feeling of disgust took over. His stomach twisted and it made the urge to vomit so prominent he could almost taste the bile in the back of his throat.

“Naruto…”

The lack of warmth seemed to snap Sasuke back to reality. Naruto sat up and rubbed his palms onto his pants, getting rid of the sweat collecting there and quickly muttered out, “I should sleep outside. I’ll wake you in the morning.” He hadn’t looked at Sasuke as he left, afraid that Sasuke would pull him back, and wrap him up in a way that he would never be able to escape. 

Sasuke sat up, eyes wide as Naruto escaped. He groaned and pressed his hand against his forehead. He went too far, he knew that. But the longer he sat, alone in the tent, the heavier the feeling became in his chest. He whimpered as he curled in on himself. His pants felt sticky and awful, but it was nothing compared to the self-depreciation consuming him from the inside.

 

* * *

 

 _Tokyo_

Naruto silently buckled up in the backseat beside Sasuke’s crutches, his eyes were still narrowed and pinched from their exchange earlier, and he was glaring out the window as a result. Sasuke settled in the passenger seat while Itachi started up the car. 

After pulling out onto the road, Itachi asked, “So what’s this plan of yours?”

Sasuke turned to him before he answered, “In my world, Karin and I worked together for a while. She had a unique ability and I wonder if she has something similar that we can utilize in this world.” Sasuke straightened in his seat and watched this strange world go by out the windshield. There was a faint queasiness in the pit of his stomach, the motion of being in a vehicle of this small scale still a foreign experience.

“And what ability is that?” Itachi asked, urging him to continue.

“She was able to sense chakra like no other I’ve seen before. It was as natural to her as breathing,” Sasuke explained.

“You think these abilities are something that transcends to our world as well?” Itachi raised a brow and spared Sasuke a glance before putting his eyes back on the road. 

Sasuke nodded, “I have a feeling this world isn’t so different from my own. Everyone here possesses chakra, but you don’t know how to use it.” 

“What makes you think that? Because you did some sort of magic trick while you’ve been parading around in my brother’s body?” 

“That’s exactly why I think that.” Sasuke snapped, because God dammit he had enough of being blamed for being in this damned world. “I was able to focus the small amount of chakra in this body to perform a jutsu that I perfected in my world. The fact that I was able to get sent here is also an indication that I’m not the only one that can perform these techniques. Also,” he pulled out the scroll and held it up for Itachi to see in his peripheral. “This scroll is laced with chakra. I can feel it, and you would be able to as well if everyone in your world had a bit more sense.” He placed the scroll down and the entire car was silent. Sasuke glared out the window and crossed his arms, still fuming. “I didn’t ask to be here. You two act as if I have nothing to lose. You have no idea what loss is, and you blame me as if I want to inhabit this useless body.” 

Itachi looked over at him again, this time at a loss for words. He tightened his lips into a thin line and focused back on his driving. His will to argue was ripped away at the thought of Sasuke’s words. Naruto seemed to feel the same.

Naruto’s eyes softened as he stared at the back of Sasuke’s seat. He couldn’t imagine what Sasuke meant. _They didn’t know what loss was_. How much did this Sasuke lose in his world?

The remainder of the car ride was silent. Sasuke closed his eyes to calm his oncoming headache, and tried to will a memory away that was scratching at the back of his head.

It was a seemingly mundane memory of him sitting across a dinner table with Naruto. They were wearing suits and Naruto was angry at something Sasuke said. It was their first real argument, and he wasn’t sure why he knew that. Sasuke got up in the memory and stormed out the restaurant. He could see everything happening as if it was a play performed right beneath his eyelids. He opened his eyes to stop the images from coming and rubbed at his temples because now his head was throbbing. 

Another memory from this world, he really hoped his hunch about Karin wouldn’t lead them to nowhere.

 

* * *

 

_Konohagakure_

The next morning Sasuke felt a terrible crick in his neck from tossing and turning on the ground throughout the night. He struggled to get his bearings, and when he did he met Naruto outside the tint where he was roasting a rabbit over a fire.

The tension from the night before was still there, and evident in the way Naruto avoided eye contact while Sasuke walked over, but Sasuke sat beside him because his stomach was turning in need of food. 

After watching Naruto rotate the rabbit for a few minutes Sasuke spoke up, “Where’s the old man?”

Naruto tensed, then relaxed almost immediately while he answered, “Checking the perimeter.”

Sasuke nodded. He wasn’t sure what else to say, so he watched Naruto rotate the rabbit a few more times.

Naruto sighed and looked at Sasuke, and Sasuke couldn’t help but return the look.

Naruto opened his mouth to speak, but after a few seconds he closed his mouth and turned his eyes back on their meal.

Sasuke sighed this time and scratched the back of his neck. “If you want to say something, then say it.” 

Naruto flinched, but didn’t speak immediately. He turned the rabbit a few more times while he thought of what to say.

“Fine,” Sasuke said, not giving him the time he needed. He stood up and Naruto almost knocked over the rabbit when he stood up to stop him.

“Wait,” Naruto said and Sasuke turned to give him a hard look. “You’re right, I’m sorry.” He wrangled a hand through his hair and let out a deep breath as if he’d been holding it. “I can’t…” he couldn’t find the words right away, “do _that_ with you again.” 

“You wanted to just as much as I did,” Sasuke challenged. 

“That’s not—,” Naruto stopped himself. “It’s not fair to the other Sasuke.”

Sasuke scoffed at that and looked away, shaking his head as if he were trying to keep himself from snapping.

Naruto continued when he didn’t get a response, “I don’t want to do something that I can’t take back. When we fix this, and you’re back in your world, I’ll go back to being a husband and a father. Sasuke will do the same.” 

“It doesn’t have to be like that,” Sasuke said, even though he knew deep down that Naruto was right. He shouldn’t meddle with the way things are in this world. But another part of him, in a deeper place that existed in this body alone, felt like Naruto was so wrong about everything. 

Naruto shook his head, “It does.” 

“You’re just afraid.” Sasuke said, and it was coming from that place in this body that was unfamiliar to him.

Naruto opened his mouth for a second, shocked by the words, “What?”

“You’re afraid,” Sasuke said again. “You’re afraid that if you explore these feelings you won’t be able to go back to your little picture perfect family. You don’t even know how he feels about you. You’re just assuming because it’s more comfortable for things to stay the way they are than for you to be true to yourself. News flash, moron, it’s already too late!”

Naruto’s eyes narrowed, and his mouth twisted into a scowl. “You don’t even know him,” he nearly growled, and Sasuke didn’t allow himself to dwell on the sliver of fear it provoked.

“I don’t have to know him. If you haven’t figured it out, we’re the same person,” Sasuke said, rolling his eyes. "And since we're the same person, I know for a fact that he loved you." 

Naruto shook his head quickly, "That's not true." 

"How would you know?" Sasuke nearly shouted. 

Naruto barked back, "How would you?" 

Sasuke couldn't say anything after that. He felt himself shudder from his neck all the way to his feet. The energy that released from Naruto pushed into him had rendered him mute. 

“You don't know anything," Naruto nearly growled. “You’re nothing like him,” he said, and then walked off. 

Sasuke was too shocked to do anything about it. He just stared as Naruto walked further into the woods.

After a moment, he looked down at the rabbit and saw that it was almost completely burnt to a crisp.

 

* * *

 

 _Tokyo_  

“I knew you’d come,” were Karin’s first words when she opened the door. She was dressed in an oversized poncho with a decorative scarf wrapped around her head. 

“Hey Karin,” Naruto said, rolling his eyes at his eccentric cousin. She stepped aside; a large grin spread across her face, and allowed the three of them to enter. Her eyes lingered on Sasuke for a bit and Sasuke immediately understood the reason for Naruto’s apparent dislike for the woman. 

“What do I owe the pleasure, gentlemen?” She asked once they were all in the living room. Again, her eyes immediately landed on Sasuke, but this time, the look was different. “You’re… wait a second…” she walked closer and Sasuke noticed the way Naruto stiffened when she leaned inches from Sasuke’s face. “Who are you?” She asked, and both Itachi and Naruto shared a look of disbelief. 

“What’s different about me?” Sasuke asked and Karin leaned back to get a better look at him.

“Your energy is all over the place, totally different from my Sasuke,” she explained and Naruto made an obnoxious show of clearing his throat.

Sasuke smirked. For the first time since he’d been in this world he felt a bit of hope rising. “I need your help.”

Karin’s eyes lit up, “Really?”

“I am Sasuke,” he clarified, “But I’m not from here.”

“An alternate universe?” She asked almost immediately, obviously brimming with excitement. Sasuke simply nodded.

“Something like that. What do you know about chakra?” 

Karin beamed at him, “Oh, I’ve been waiting for this day. Come on,” she waved for them to follow her and scurried towards the back of her house.

They went down the hall and into a large room that Karin had decked out like it was a temple for meditation. Soft Indian rugs lined the floor and tapestry hung on every wall. There were mantels fills with crystals and books piled atop each other, all about finding the spirit within the body, using energy and harvesting chakra. Both Itachi and Naruto looked like they wanted to leave right away, but Sasuke was enthralled with his surroundings. It was a bit cheesy, even for him, but he could feel the energy pooling in the room, no doubt drawn in by the woman grinning at the three of them.

“Impressive,” Sasuke said and Naruto gaped at him for it.

Karin clasped her hands together and held them close to her chest as if her heart was threatening to burst out. She blushed and swooned at him, “You think so?”

Sasuke ignored her antics and hobbled to the center of the room. He could feel it, the chakra around him. He could feel it entering his body. There was no point in holding back, and he couldn’t even if he wanted to. He hadn’t felt this sort of energy in so long. It felt like forever since he’d felt it pulsing through him, feeding his muscles, circling around his veins.

He shocked them all when his hands flew up in a slew of hand seals that none of them could catch. It wasn’t until he ended on the seal of the Tiger that Sasuke spoke, “ _Katon_!”

“What the—.” Naruto started when he felt the air shift around them.

“ _Gōkakyū no Jutsu_!” Sasuke blew into his hand after that and nearly caught Karin’s scarf on fire with the explosive heat that ignited in the room. They all stepped back, staring in awe at the massive ball that swirled in front of Sasuke, as if it came from his lungs. It barely scraped at the wall, and lit a few of the tapestries on fire.

They didn’t notice until Sasuke was finished. Karin rushed over to the wall to calm the fire before it destroyed anything else. Sasuke simply stood there, staring at his hands while Itachi and Naruto shared a look of equal disbelief, fear and excitement.

Sasuke grinned down at his hands so uncharacteristically that it was almost as terrifying as the fire that he’d blown from his chest.

Once the fire was out, Karin breathed a heavy sigh and placed a hand over her chest to calm her erratic heart. She slowly turned to Sasuke, who couldn’t seem to take his eyes off of his hands. 

“That was incredible,” she whispered. Naruto looked to her, then back to Sasuke, eyes wide and looking frantic.

“That was crazy,” Naruto breathed out next.

Sasuke looked up at them, still grinning and looking a bit maniacal.

“Uh… Sasuke?” Naruto asked, weary and cautious as if he were suddenly afraid Sasuke would spontaneously combust.

“Do you believe it now?” Sasuke asked seconds before he collapsed onto the ground.

“Shit, Sasuke!” Naruto rushed to his side, catching the falling crutches before tending to Sasuke. He held the crutches out for Itachi to take them, and then turned Sasuke’s head so that he could fully see his face. He panicked a little when he saw that Sasuke’s eyes were closed. “Sasuke! Are you okay?” Naruto rubbed his hand over Sasuke’s face. 

Sasuke scrunched his nose and batted the hand away, “M’fine. Stop yelling, moron,” Sasuke grumbled.

Naruto smiled a little, “Still an asshole. Good,” he joked, receiving a tired glare in response.

“What was that?” Itachi asked and all eyes turned to him. “What did you do just now?” he pointed at the space where fire had nearly consumed them. Sasuke smirked, because even if this wasn’t the Itachi from his world, it was the first time he’d seen such a look on his face.

“That was a technique specialized in the Uchiha clan,” Sasuke explained, allowing Naruto to help him into a sitting position.

“Uchiha clan..?” Itachi was almost honored. He would’ve been if he didn’t have the sense to know that Sasuke was talking about a world that didn’t exist to him.

“That was so insane,” Karin gushed. “You just spit fire out of your body, using the energy in this room. How incredible! I had no idea you could focus it and create something so… real…” Her eyes were shining now, and if Sasuke weren’t in such agreement with her, he’d find the look a bit unsettling.

Sasuke nodded, “We have a chance of winning.”

Karin paused, “Wait what?” They all looked at her now. “Winning what? What’s all this about, anyway?”

Nobody answered right away, even as she looked around the room at the three of them. 

She went on, "So you're really not my Sasuke? You're actually from a different universe?" Naruto grumbled something under his breath at her choice of words, but she ignored him. She laughed, "So gnarly," she whispered, looking at Sasuke now as if he were a specimen dropped off from outer space. 

Sasuke sighed and nodded once again, "I'll explain in greater detail later. First, There's something I need to teach you.”

Karin blushed again and Naruto nearly gagged. She clambered over and shoved Naruto away, claiming his spot and receiving a middle finger at the back of her head.

“Anything! Are you going to teach me that fireball thing you just did? Cause that was freaking awesome.” She bounced in excitement, though nearly deflated when he shook his head in response.

“It’s more important than that. A healing technique, but we’ll need a few things…” he trailed off in his explanation.

Her eyes lit up even brighter, “Just say the word.”

 

* * *

 

 _Unknown_

“Enzo is confirmed dead, sir,” a henchman among many announced from a kneeled position behind him.

He didn’t look back to acknowledge the words. He simply grinned.

“A worthy sacrifice.” He said from his makeshift throne. “How is he?” He turned his head, only slightly revealing his scarred face to the crouched man.

“The prisoner? He’s still alive, sir.” The henchman answered, head bowed until he felt the presence behind him. A knife nipped at the skin of his neck and his leader who was once sitting in the throne was suddenly crouched behind him. He hadn’t even seen him move. His eyes widened and glistened with fear. 

“The next time I ask you a question, I expect you to answer correctly. Lets try this again, how is he?” 

“Oh, y-yes of course,” the henchman swallowed a thick lump in his throat before he tried his answer again, “The Uchiha has moved to another location; th-the home of Uzumaki Karin. His chakra readings peaked about an hour ago, s-sir.”

The man grinned, and stood up straight, removing the knife from the henchman’s neck.

“The scroll is in his possession?” He asked.

The henchman shakily nodded, “S-sir.”

His grin was wide and wicked while he spoke in a sing-song tone, “Like a rat, he follows the bait.” The satisfaction in his voice was almost enough to calm the henchman’s fear. But, it wasn’t enough to save him. The knife was plunged into the back of his neck. With a painful howl, the henchman crumbled to the floor, choking in a pool of his blood. 

The leader bent down and wiped the knife on a clean part of the henchman’s shirt and placed it back in its holster by his hip. As he walked back to his chair, two masked men scurried forward to clean up the body. The man was grinning, his plan running through his head as he walked back. With each step, the headband tied to his belt dangled idly by his side.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!
> 
> Will Sasuke and his team in the "real world" walk right into the enemy's trap?
> 
> Will Naruto and Sasuke be able to find some sense of normalcy after dry humping each other in the woods? 
> 
> Will the two Sasukes figure out how to find their way home? 
> 
> Find out in like twelve years once this story is complete :) 
> 
> Let me know what y'all think~ Kudos and Comments are so appreciated <3 Happy Holidays guys!! Ily, bye! See you next year <3 <3 <3


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